definitions
  • synonyms

bootlegged

[ boot-legd ]
/ ˈbutˌlɛgd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bootlegged ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

bootleg.

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RELATED WORDS

contraband, illicit, unauthorized, pirated, bootleg, prohibited, hide, export, taboo, run, deal, moonshine, push, pirate, fence, relate, dicker, trade, touch, peddle

Nearby words

bootlace fungus, bootlace worm, bootle, bootleg, bootleg play, bootlegged, bootlegger, bootlegging, bootless, bootlessly, bootlick

Origin of bootlegged

see origin at bootleg, -ed3

Definition for bootlegged (2 of 2)

Origin of bootleg

1625–35, Americanism; boot1 + leg; secondary senses arose from practice of hiding a liquor bottle in the leg of one's boot
Related formsboot·leg·ger, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bootlegged

  • The Chinese making money off bootlegged versions of Lincoln is most definitely not acceptable.

    Bootleg Empire: America the Smuggler Nation|Cameron Martin|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

  • He bootlegged upon a larger scale than do most of those pursuing this precarious avocation.

    Sundry Accounts|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for bootlegged

bootleg

/ (ˈbuːtˌlɛɡ) /

verb -legs, -legging or -legged

to make, carry, or sell (illicit goods, esp alcohol)

noun

something made or sold illicitly, such as alcohol during Prohibition in the US
an illegally made copy of a CD, tape, etc

adjective

produced, distributed, or sold illicitlybootleg whisky; bootleg tapes
Derived Formsbootlegger, noun

Word Origin for bootleg

C17: see boot 1, leg; from the practice of smugglers of carrying bottles of liquor concealed in their boots
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bootlegged

bootleg

n.

"leg of a boot," 1630s, from boot (n.1) + leg (n.). As an adjective in reference to illegal iquor, 1889, American English slang, from the trick of concealing a flask of liquor down the leg of a high boot. Before that the bootleg was the place to secret knives and pistols.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper