bootlegger
noun/ˈbuːtlɛɡə(ɹ)/
Etymology From bootleg + -er. Originally a nickname given to smugglers in King George III's reign, derived from the smugglers' custom of hiding packages of valuables in the legs of their large sea-boots when dodging the king's coastguardsmen.
› Someone who bootlegs.
1
One who is illegally a producer and/or trader of goods, especially of alcohol.
- His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him: he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women. Bootleggers caused enough trouble in the Quarters, but women were worse.1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC:
2
One who breaks intellectual property laws by reproducing protected works without permission.
3
A miner who mines illegally.
- Derived terms
- booklegger, bootlegger reverse, bootleggery, buttlegger, foodlegger, organlegger
- Related terms
- bootlegging, moonshiner, revenuer