bootleg

[boot-leg]

See more synonyms for bootleg on Thesaurus.com

noun

alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes.
the part of a boot that covers the leg.
something, as a recording, made, reproduced, or sold illegally or without authorization: a flurry of bootlegs to cash in on the rock star's death.

verb (used with object), boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.

to deal in (liquor or other goods) unlawfully.

verb (used without object), boot·legged, boot·leg·ging.

to make, transport, or sell something, especially liquor, illegally or without registration or payment of taxes.

adjective

made, sold, or transported unlawfully.
illegal or clandestine.
of or relating to bootlegging.

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. 2018

Related Words for bootlegging

infringement, plagiarism, theft, piracy, smuggling, trafficking, hide, export, rapine, stealing, swashbuckling, bootlegging, swag, goods, violation, crime, plunder, stuff, moonshine, dealing

Examples from the Web for bootlegging

Historical Examples of bootlegging

We expected him to steal our clothes or have us indicted for bootlegging.
Watch Yourself Go By
Al. G. Field
It was just that this man had lied to me, after I had done all his bootlegging work.
Mystery Ranch
Arthur Chapman
If McFann is mixed up in anything, from bootlegging to bigger crimes, he is only a tool.
Mystery Ranch
Arthur Chapman
Most Montenegrins derive their livelihood, directly or indirectly, from smuggling, bootlegging and illegal immigration.
After the Rain
Sam Vaknin
He knew where there was drink, and who was organizing the bootlegging business, and what graft the police took.
The Soul of John Brown
Stephen Graham

British Dictionary definitions for bootlegging

bootleg

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 bootlegging

also boot-legging, 1890, from bootleg (q.v.).

bootleg

"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.