to boot

1 The phrase to boot is used in the sense of ON TOP OF (ALL) THAT to add additional information to something you just said — especially if you listed several things. It’s always preceded somewhere in the sentence by an and, and usually appears at the end of the sentence, although you may hear people start a sentence with And to boot,…

As you can see, to boot doesn’t simply mean as well; it implies ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE with a nuance of «and if that wasn’t enough,[EXTRA INFORMATION]!». For instance, here, the speaker lists two talents — guitarist and songwriter, and if that isn't enough, he's also one hell of a friend!

I’ve known Alex since childhood. He’s a very talented guitarist, an amazing songwriter, and a really good friend to boot.

Here, Nicky uses to boot to emphasize that on top of spending so much money on a new suitcase, a new phone, and an international calling plan, he went a step further and forked over an extra three grand for his trip.

Note that to boot could also go at the end of this statement: …and I gave him $3000 cash, to boot.

Nicky and Natasha are sending their son, Alex, to France for the summer, as part of an exchange program, and Natasha misses him already.

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Natasha: This is the first time my baby’s ever been away from me for so long. God, I'm going to miss him!

Nicky: Oh God! Really, Natasha? Corny much? You’d think he was five! He’ll be fine. I went to the mall and bought him a nice suitcase yesterday. I also got him a cellphone with an international calling plan, so he can call his mommy anytime. And to boot, I gave him $3000 cash. I just hope the French kid they’re sending us is as nice as our Alex.

___________________⦿ to fork over | This colloquial phrase simply means to give or pay someone money. We use it when we consider it a lot of money, and especially if we're reluctant to spend that much. Here, Nicky's happy to give Alex all these things, but obviously he considers it a lot of money.⦿ three grand | In the spoken language, it's very common to hear grand with the meaning thousand dollars. Note that grand is always singular – one grand, two grand, three grand, etc.⦿ Corny much? | This is a very sarcastic way of pointing out that someone is being corny (or any other adjective that describes a general attitude). It's short for Do you corny much?, which grammatically doesn't make much sense since corny isn't a verb, but in slang, it works. We use it when we're shocked at and critical of someone's behavior or attitude. Here, Nicky can't believe how corny (overly dramatic) Natasha's being. Learn more here.⦿ you'd think he was five | If someone heard you and didn't know Alex was 17, they'd think he was five years old! The you here is a general pronoun that refers to everyone, anyone.

2 Very often, to boot implies that the speaker views something as a bonus, a little something extra that was unexpected.

Here, to boot is used to refer to something good - free food. But it can also be used in an unpleasant situation: My girlfriend left me without a warning last week. I came home from work to find that she'd taken her things, some of my things, our dog, and emptied out our savings account to boot. Here it implies that on top of all those horrible things, she did something even more despicable.

Ron was invited to be a guest speaker at a convention in New York. When he arrives back in Miami, his wife goes to pick him up at the airport.

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Angela: So? How was it?

Ron: It was excellent! There's nothing like getting paid to talk about something you're passionate about... and they put our logo on the cover of the convention schedule, so we got free advertising to boot!

Andy works at a restaurant in Miami. Because of a major hurricane, the restaurant's had to close for the week, but every dark cloud has a silver lining...

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Roommate: Wow, I just heard on the news that they're closing down the downtown area for repairs. I guess you'll be out of work for a week.

Andy: More like a one-week vacation! The owner paid us all for the entire week. And since there's no electricity, he had to empty the freezer, so we got free food to boot!

Roommate: Damn... talk about a silver lining!

____________⦿ every dark cloud has a silver lining | In every bad situation, there's something good to be found.⦿ I guess | I guess doesn't mean the same as I think. We use I guess when we come to a conclusion based on the evidence or circumstances before us, so it's closer to obviously. ⦿ Damn... | Pronounced with an intonation of awe and wonder, this exclamation is used to praise someone or comment on something admirable, cool or favorable. ⦿ Talk about... | What an excellent example of... Learn more here.

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