bootleg

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.

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbutˌlɛɡ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

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

1. (ambitransitive) To engage in bootlegging.
   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.

bootleg (plural bootlegs)

1. The part of a boot that is above the instep.
2. An illegally produced, transported or sold product; contraband.
3. (music) An unauthorized recording, e.g., of a live concert.
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.

bootleg (not comparable)

1. Illegally produced, transported or sold; pirated.
2. Being an inferior imitation of something, possibly a counterfeit.

   bootleg coffee

• bootleg mining

• bathtub gin
• moonshine