bootlegger
Illicit alcohol dealer
A bootlegger is someone who makes, transports, or sells illegal goods—originally liquor during Prohibition, when smugglers supposedly hid flasks in their boot legs.
The term now applies to anyone dealing in contraband or unauthorized copies: bootlegger whiskey, a bootlegger selling pirated DVDs.
The verb is bootleg; the activity is bootlegging.
Illicit liquor establishment
- bathtub ginAmateur-made illegal liquor
- Roaring TwentiesProsperous 1920s era
- temperanceHabitual moderation in behavior
- rum-runningIllicit alcohol trafficking
Al Capone · flapper · jazz age · Eighteenth Amendment · repeal · prohibitionist · teetotaler · raid
Fugitive from justice
- gangsterCriminal organization member
- racketeerOrganized crime participant
- mobsterOrganized crime member
- crime bossLeader of criminal organization
syndicate · underworld · kingpin · mafia · fence · accomplice · henchman · hideout
Prohibited trade goods
- rum-runnerProhibition liquor smuggler
- border crossingTransit between sovereign territories
- hidden compartmentConcealed storage space
- coyoteWild North American canid
mule · stash · trafficking · black market · courier · cargo · speedboat · tunnel
Unmoving, or continuing
- corn whiskeySpirit distilled from maize
- white lightningIllicit homemade corn whiskey
- hoochIllicit liquor, slangily
- mason jarGlass container for preserving
Appalachian · backwoods · copper pot · mash · distillery · rotgut · homebrew · poteen
Fraudulent imitation
- knockoffUnauthorized replica product
- unlicensedWithout official permit
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
- piratedCopied without authorization
fake · replica · infringement · black-market · torrent · leaked · duplicated · concert recording
speakeasy
Illicit liquor establishment
- bathtub ginAmateur-made illegal liquor
- Roaring TwentiesProsperous 1920s era
- temperanceHabitual moderation in behavior
Al Capone · rum-running · flapper · jazz age · Eighteenth Amendment · repeal · prohibitionist · teetotaler · raid · Gatsby
outlaw
Fugitive from justice
- gangsterCriminal organization member
- racketeerOrganized crime participant
- mobsterOrganized crime member
crime boss · syndicate · underworld · kingpin · mafia · fence · accomplice · henchman · hideout · wanted
contraband
Prohibited trade goods
- rum-runnerProhibition liquor smuggler
- border crossingTransit between sovereign territories
- hidden compartmentConcealed storage space
coyote · mule · stash · trafficking · black market · courier · cargo · speedboat · tunnel · getaway
still
Unmoving, or continuing
- corn whiskeySpirit distilled from maize
- white lightningIllicit homemade corn whiskey
- hoochIllicit liquor, slangily
mason jar · Appalachian · backwoods · copper pot · mash · distillery · rotgut · homebrew · poteen · revenuers
counterfeit
Fraudulent imitation
- knockoffUnauthorized replica product
- unlicensedWithout official permit
- unauthorizedNot officially permitted
pirated · fake · replica · infringement · black-market · torrent · leaked · duplicated · concert recording · pirate radio
- Outlawsoutlaw, bandit, desperado, highwayman, robber
- Prohibition EraProhibition, speakeasies, moonshiner, Al Capone, rum runners
- US HistoryAmerican Revolution, US history, Civil War, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln
- 1920s AmericaCharles Lindbergh, Jazz Age, Spirit of St. Louis, flappers, transatlantic flight
- Crookscrook, swindler, fraudster, embezzler, con artist
- Early 1900sroaring twenties, flapper, jazz, speakeasy, prohibition
bootleggerrevenue agent
Official investigating tax compliance
Eliot Ness · federal agent · revenuer · temperance advocate · teetotaler