Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Word Origins 38. The word origin today is
bootlegging or you know to bootleg something. Let's take a look at the note.
Nowadays, you know, in our modern time, nowadays bootlegging is the act of
making or selling things illegally, especially music, movies and alcohol. So
how would it be with the music ? Maybe if somebody went into an actual concert and
actually taped the concert. Or today maybe even filmed the concert illegally,
without permission and then was able to make copies of it and resell it. That
would be called.. that would be referred to as bootlegs or bootleg copies they were
done illegally. The same thing with the movies you know, you've probably seen
this before or heard of this. Somebody snuck into a movie theater when the
movie first came out and they were hiding there and filming the movie while
they're watching the movie and then they, they use that copy.
I don't know, nowadays when we get through the Internet or before maybe
they made fake copies of it and resold it. So that would also be under
bootlegging and of course alcohol. We know that alcohol was also connected to
bootlegging, especially in the old days we're going to.. we're going to get to that.
During prohibition you know, people made alcohol illegally. All right. So let's
continue here. So the origin of this term goes back to cowboy days you know,
originally. That's the idea when Cowboys used to hide many things in their high
boots. Yeah you've often seen this in cowboy movies, where they hide something
in their high boots. They pull a knife or small gun or sometimes they have what we
call here a flask of whiskey. So such as weapons or flask of whiskey. You know, that
like metal tin, metal can they kind of open it and they drink it down. So they might
have had some whiskey with him. I don't know just in case I guess they got
thirsty or they needed whiskey. Or remember in those days whiskey or
alcohol was also used kind of as a disinfectant too. So if you got a cut or
something. sometimes you see that somebody in these
old cowboy movies they get a bullet they're going to burn it
or something they put some ... they put some of the alcohol on it too. So it's better than
nothing in those days. So especially whisky ... All right. Let's continue. The term
itself became popular during the days of prohibition. Yeah. I remember I know it's
so hard to believe now that was it no was about, about a 10 or 11 year period
there around the night early 1920s. Or around that time where alcohol was
actually illegal in the US. So there was a lot of black market people selling
alcohol on the black market . I think eventually they considered it was just
too much trouble and created too much crime.
it was easier to just make alcohol legal again because you know the amount of
alcoholics is such a small percentage that that if that's a smaller problem
than trying to keep alcohol illegal. All right. And you know , you know, the way it
goes. Once once you make something illegal people want it more. All
right. So let's continue. During this period one of the main ways to smuggle
alcohol was to hide a flask of whiskey in your boots. So this is where the idea
of bootlegging came from . I guess you would hid the flask of whiskey or the flask of
alcohol in your boot. So that was a way to transport it. So this is where the
term comes from. This is why we say bootlegging you know, people will think
what does that have to do with illegal things ? Well, now you know. That's where it
came from. In your boot, especially a high, high boot or high boots. Yes. Okay. Anyway,
I hope you got it. I hope it was informative. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for your
time. Bye-bye.