to kick the bucket, to die
Se o Ricardo não cuidar da saúde, vai bater as botas em breve!
If Ricardo doesn't take care of his health, he'll kick the bucket soon!
The origin of bater as botas ("to bang the boots") is uncertain and likely folk in nature. The most repeated account ties it to the 1624 Dutch invasion of Brazil, when conscripts unused to their heavy boots are said to have stumbled and become easy targets, so that the dead were described as having "banged their boots."
Source: Só Português.
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