Hi
-
Can I normally use toe of the boot?
boot toe?
boot’s toe?
-
If yes, how to refer to both boots (i.e. a particular pair of boots):
( ) toe of the boots
or ( ) toes of the boots? -
What about articles ( ) to be used with toe ?
Is it ‘a thing’?
Hi Tamara,
Bit of a puzzler - the more I think of it, the more confused I get. I think I would go for toe in the boot if I were referring to that part of the boot. Toe can happily be with either article.
Alan
Tamara, to my ears your usage is correct. Alan’s “toe in the boot” sounds to me like the toe of the foot that’s currently wearing the boot.
Oh dear!
Have I put my foot in it?
Alan
Hi
Thank you.
Alan, I’m sorry for (some of) my stupid questions…
My head is actually built in a strange way - just from my childhood - and no one, as yet, have managed to repair it. Having had lots of good attempts, though. 
Jamie, you perhaps understand that I’ve just used directly the Russian grammar model (‘proper case’) for that.
…OK.
I will stick to ‘boot toe’ then… It seems that everybody can understand it right. Especially when you are supporting your saying by pointing (to) the subject with your hand
Exactly, Tamara! Hands and fingers (and maybe toes, too? ;)) often come in very handy as language assistants. Sometimes I even resort to drawing very complicated pictures in the air. :lol:
Amy
PS
I’d also tend toward using “toe of the boot” or “boot toe”…
Tamara, I much prefer “toe of the boot”. Don’t get caught up in the belief that if something is a calque from Russian it must be wrong. Some people make a lot of mistakes by trying to avoid calques.
This is a case where I think a Google count and analysis is appropriate.
For boot toe, I got 30,700 hits, but they all seem to be from product catalogues, and boot toe is usuallly a part of a larger compound in them, e.g., boot toe stretcher, boot toe clips, boot toe spikes, etc.
For toe of the boot, I get only 20,600 hits, surprisingly, but they are of a more conversational, colloquial, non-commercial nature: (a) The toe of the boot has a black rubber cap that also appears to be well sealed to the leather. (b) Stand up straight and push your foot forward into the toe of the boot. (c) Milly Mouse slid out of the hole in the toe of the boot.
For toe in the boot, I get only 1,020 hits, and they are of a different nature: A toe in the boot was used for the DNA analysis that identified the corpse. These examples usually involve a human toe that’s inside the toe of the boot, or, oddly, the “toe” of Italy.
Jamie, just to add :):
What I’ve found out right now (ALSO used for what I need to name) is boot end and the end of the/my boot.
Even though for my Russian ears ‘end of the boots’ unambiguously sounds as a calque used when ‘these particular’ shoes are worn out and done for
I’ve just interrogated a 17-year-old boy (with active support of my fingers and my best shows for visual aid :)) and he surely said - tip.
‘tip of the boot’, ‘boot tip’, ‘boot tips’
Tamara,
If I may put my foot down here :roll:
you were right the first time.
The correct way is “toe of the boot” or “toes of the boots”.
It (or they) are 'thing’s, so you refer to "a " or “the toe of a boot”.
The “toe in the boot” would refer to the specific piece of the anatomy.
Hi Art,
Thank you.
And sorry for the ‘grind’…
Everyone who needs to speak foreign language (not mastering it well enough) in the country of its origin, knows well how blocking different ‘unresolved language doubts’ can be…
Tamara
:lol: 
:lol:
Hi Tamara,
Did you find the tip about “tip” to be a good tip? :lol:
For some reason word “tiptoe” has suddenly popped into my head although that really wouldn’t have anything at all to do with boots.
Amy
Tamara,
There is no need to apologise,
I was trying to be facetious.
I think this site is here to deal with ‘unresolved language doubts’.