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bootleg

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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English

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Etymology

From boot +‎ leg. Originally a nickname given to smugglers in King George III's reign, derived from the smugglers' custom of hiding packages of valuables in their large sea-boots when dodging the king's coastguardsmen.

Pronunciation

Verb

bootleg (third-person singular simple present bootlegs, present participle bootlegging, simple past and past participle bootlegged)

  1. (ambitransitive) To engage in bootlegging.
    • 2010, Theodore Dalrymple, Our Culture, What’s Left of It:
      Only certain dishes are allowed—-not fish and lobster, reserved to the state restaurants—-and those paladares that break the rules operate like speakeasies in the time of Prohibition, the fish-bootlegging owners keeping a nervous eye out for informers.
    1. (chiefly US, ambitransitive) To make, transport and/or sell illegal alcoholic liquor.
      In the 1930s, Grandpa used to bootleg to make ends meet.
      In the 1930s, Grandpa used to bootleg whiskey from a still hidden in the backwoods.
    2. (ambitransitive) To make, transport and/or sell an illegal version or copy of a copyrighted product.
      In the 1990s, Grandpa used to bootleg under some sort of Robin-Hood-esque notion.
      In the 1990s, Grandpa used to bootleg Windows CD-ROMs.
    3. (chiefly US, ambitransitive) To operate a mine illicitly.
      In the 1930s, Grandpa used to bootleg to make ends meet.
      In the 1930s, Grandpa used to bootleg coal from a shaft hidden in the backwoods.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Noun

bootleg (plural bootlegs)

  1. The part of a boot that is above the instep.
    Holonyms: upper < boot
  2. An illegally produced, transported, or sold product.
    Synonym: contraband
    He thinks he can cross this border with bootleg and get away with it. I doubt he's right. Maybe years ago, but not nowadays.
  3. (music) An unauthorized recording; for example, of a live concert.
    Years ago I heard a fantastic bootleg of that song. It was my favorite rendition.
  4. (music) A remix or mashup that is a combination of two songs but that is not authorized and audited for copyright use; primarily in the electronic music scene.
  5. (American football) A play in which the quarterback fakes a handoff, conceals the ball against his hip, and rolls out.

Translations

Adjective

bootleg (not comparable)

  1. Illegally produced, transported, or sold.
    Near-synonym: pirated
  2. Being an inferior imitation of something, possibly a counterfeit.
    Synonym: ersatz
    bootleg coffee

Translations

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