Plural of brogan; sturdy, heavy work boots or shoes, typically made of leather and worn by laborers and soldiers.
From Irish bróg meaning 'shoe,' combined with the English -an suffix; originally referred to rough Irish brogues, evolved to mean any heavy work boot.
Brogans were the standard-issue shoe for American soldiers and laborers, so common that 'brogan' became synonymous with hard, unglamorous work itself.
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