Put the boot in - заниматься опасными видами спорта; подвергать злобным и несправедливым нападкам; травить; бить лежачего Put the boot in means to kick someone when they are already on the ground or to make a bad situation worse, by criticizing or being unkind...

The double doors of the veterinarian’s office split wide open and a shaft of sunlight rushed into the waiting room like blood coloring a freshly slapped cheek. The room flushed with blinding light. Silhouetted in the doorway, a young woman stood in the darkness of her own shadow. Her head was low, fallen slightly forward, like she’d just run the whole way there, and now, after yanking the doors open, she’d used the last of her energy. It hadn’t been the best morning for Blue. She started the day...