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raise oneself by the (or one's own) bootstraps

Variant of bootstrap

bootstrap definition

boot·strap (bo̵̅o̅t′strap′)

noun

a strap on a boot for pulling it on

adjective

undertaken or effected without others' help a bootstrap operation

transitive verb bootstrapped -·strapped′, bootstrapping -·strap′·ping

  1. Informal to cause (esp. oneself) to succeed without the help of others
  2. Comput. boot ()
bootstrap Idioms

lift oneself by the (or one's own) bootstraps

or raise oneself by the (or one's own) bootstraps
to achieve success by one's own unaided efforts

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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