An interesting expression from the turn-of-the-last-century Wild West appears in a book reviewed on this site.  “To die with your boots on” refers to dieing a violent death, specifically to being murdered.

The expression is used as follows:

“A grave yard was now started on a round hill… Mr. and Mrs. George Nesbeth, a little girl, and a strange man, who had died with their boots on – being foully murdered – were buried in this miniature “Boot Hill” cemetery.

“McKinney had died with his boots off, while Pat Garrett died with them on, being shot and killed on the road…”

I had not heard of the phrase “to die with your boots off” before.  Though it seems reasonable to believe both “boots on” and “boots off” would have been used, it seems only the “boots on” phrase came down to modern usage, (or, at least, to me).