A boy or young man employed to clean and shine boots, especially in hotels, military barracks, or large households; also, a derogatory British term for a member of a right-wing youth gang.
'Boot' (footwear) + 'boy' (young male). The first sense is straightforward occupational vocabulary from the 18th-19th centuries. The second sense (1960s-70s British youth subculture) borrowed the term to describe 'bovver boys' or violent youth gang members.
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