General
daisy roots
What does daisy roots mean?
By extension, sometimes any sturdy shoes worn for graft.
"He laced up his daisies for the early shift."
Origin
Victorian East End rhyming slang on 'boots'; clothing rhymes were plentiful in working London, and 'daisy roots' appears among nineteenth-century rhyming-slang collections in the tradition begun by Hotten's 1859 dictionary.
Frequently asked questions
What does daisy roots mean?
It's Cockney rhyming slang for boots. 'Roots' rhymes with 'boots', and it's shortened to 'daisies'.
Where did daisy roots come from?
From Victorian-era East End speech, part of the rich clothing-and-footwear strand of rhyming slang recorded in the nineteenth century.
Is daisy roots still heard?
It's now more heritage than everyday, but 'daisies' for boots is still recognised among older Londoners.
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