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by wickedwillie on May 5th, 2005

wickedwillie

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What is the origin of the term "bootleg"?

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  • by 512souro on May 5th, 2005

    512souro

    Source: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=b&p=14

    bootleg
    1889 (adj.), 1903 (v.), Amer.Eng. slang, from the trick of concealing something down the leg of a high boot (originally a flask of liquor).

    Source : http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20030103.html

    The first use of the phrase is found in the Omaha Herald in 1889:
    There is as much whisky consumed in Iowa now as there was before..."for medical purposes only," and on the boot-leg plan.

    A bootleg refers to the long leather boots worn by cowboys in the Old West. They were used to store all manner of illicit goods, including an extra gun, a bowie knife, or a flask of moonshine. Incidentally, a bootleg play in football refers to quarterback running pattern that entails making a sharp perpendicular turn around the tight end.

    Over at Random House, the Maven's Word of the Day notes the phrase's surge in popularity during the Prohibition Era. It's now used to refer to anything illegal, unauthorized, and unregulated, like concert recordings.

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