boot

foot and lower-leg covering

1 / 1

A Prohibition-era illicit liquor maker is caught bottling spirits from a working still as a police officer enters the concealed workspace.

noun

bootlegger

BOOT-leg-ur/ˈbuːtleɡər/

A person who makes, transports, or sells goods illegally, especially alcohol.

Etymology

bootEnglishfoot and lower-leg covering

+legEnglishleg

+gerEnglisha person or thing that does something

The boot’s leg was a hiding place for flasks of illicit liquor. Bootlegger first named an illegal liquor seller, then broadened to someone making or selling other goods illegally.

Full entry

Related word entries

bootlegger