A person who illegally manufactures, distributes, or sells bootleg goods, especially alcohol during Prohibition or other contraband items.
From 'bootleg' (liquor hidden in boot legs during Prohibition) plus '-er' suffix for a person who does something; 'bootleg' comes from the practice of hiding bottles in boot legs to smuggle them.
Bootleggers during Prohibition weren't just criminals—they were entrepreneurs who created an entire underground economy, music distribution network (bootleg recordings), and actually invented NASCAR when whiskey-runners modified cars to outrun police.
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