Glossary of Mafia-related words

Last updated

This is a glossary of words related to the Mafia, primarily the Italian American Mafia and Sicilian Mafia.

  1. administration: the top-level "management" of an organized crime family -- the boss, underboss and consigliere. [1]
  2. associate: one who works with mobsters, but hasn't been asked to take the vow of Omertà; an almost confirmed, or made guy. [2]
  3. bagman : a person or paymaster designated to collect or distribute illicitly gained money.
  4. barone: a baron or landlord. [3]
  5. books, the: a phrase indicating membership in the family. If there is a possibility for membership, then the books are open. If not, the books are closed.
  6. boss : the head of the family who runs the show. [3] The boss also gets points from all family business; also see don, chairman.
  7. bridge: threat of death; e.g. "our former friend is walking across the bridge".
  8. button or becoming a button man: a mafia hit man; or someone who has become a made man.
  9. capo : the family member who leads a crew; short for caporegime or capodecina.
  10. capo dei capi : "boss of all [the] bosses" is a phrase used mainly by the media, public and the law enforcement community to indicate a supremely powerful crime boss in the Sicilian or American Mafia who holds great influence over the whole organization.
  11. captain: a capo.
  12. cement shoes : a method of murder or body disposal, usually associated with criminals such as the Mafia or gangs. It involves weighting down the victim, who may be dead or alive, with concrete and throwing them into water in the hope the body will never be found.
  13. clip: to murder; also to whack, hit, pop, burn, ice, put a contract out on.
  14. code of silence : not ratting on one's colleagues once one has been pinched -- no longer a strong virtue in organized crime families. Also, see omertà.
  15. comare : literally "godmother" in Southern Italian slang, usually pronounced "goomah" or "goomar" in American English: a Mafia mistress.
  16. confirm: to be made; see made guy.
  17. connected guy: an associate
  18. consigliere : the family adviser, who is always consulted before decisions are made.
  19. Cosa Nostra (Our thing): mob term for the family or Mafia
  20. crank: speed; in particular, crystal meth.
  21. crew: the group of soldiers under the capo's command.
  22. cugine: a young soldier striving to be made.
  23. don : the head of the family; see boss.
  24. earner: a member who brings in much money for the family.
  25. eat alone: to keep for oneself; to be greedy.
  26. family : an organized crime clan.
  27. forget about it (often pronounced "fuggedaboutit"): An exclamation; as the title character explains in Donnie Brasco :

    "Forget about it" is, like, if you agree with someone, you know, like "Raquel Welch is one great piece of ass. Forget about it!" But then, if you disagree, like "A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it!" You know? But then, it's also like if something's the greatest thing in the world, like, "Minchia! Those peppers! Forget about it!" But it's also like saying "Go to hell!" too. Like, you know, like "Hey Paulie, you got a one-inch pecker?" and Paulie says "Forget about it!" Sometimes it just means "Forget about it." [4]

  28. friend: "a friend of mine" is an associate, "a friend of ours" is a made man.
  29. G: a grand; a thousand dollars; also see large.
  30. garbage business: euphemism for organized crime.
  31. Golden Age: The days before RICO.
  32. Goodfella: A member of the Mafia.
  33. goomar or goomah: Americanized form of comare, a Mafia mistress.
  34. goombah : an associate, especially a senior member of a criminal gang.
  35. heavy: packed, carrying a weapon.
  36. hit: to murder; also see whack.
  37. initiation or induction: becoming a made man.
  38. juice: the interest paid to a loan shark for the loan; also see vig.
  39. kick up: give a part of the income to the next up in the command chain.
  40. lam: To lay down, go into hiding.
  41. large: a thousand, a grand, a G.
  42. LCN : abbreviation for La Cosa Nostra.
  43. lupara bianca : a journalistic term to indicate a Mafia slaying done in such a way that the victim's body is never found.
  44. made man : an inducted member of the family.
  45. make one's bones : gain credibility by killing someone.
  46. mock execution: to whip someone into shape by frightening them.
  47. mattresses, going to, taking it to, or hitting the: going to war with a rival clan or family.
  48. message job: placing the bullet in someone's body such that a specific message is sent to that person's crew or family; see through the eye and through the mouth.
  49. mob, the: a single organized crime family; or all organized crime families together.
  50. mobbed up: connected to the mob.
  51. mobster: one who is in the mob.
  52. oath: becoming inducted as a made man.
  53. Omertà : to take a vow of silence in the Mafia, punishable by death if not upheld.
  54. one-way ride or taking someone for a ride: underworld for an execution method
  55. outfit: a clan, or family within the Mafia.
  56. old country: refers to Italy when used by members of the American Mafia
  57. painting houses: murdering someone
  58. pass: A reprieve from being whacked.
  59. paying tribute: giving the boss a cut of the deal.
  60. pinched: to get caught by the cops or federal agents.
  61. points: percent of income; cut.
  62. program, the: The Witness Protection Program.
  63. rat: someone who turns informant, snitches or squeals after having been pinched.
  64. RICO: Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Passed in 1970 to aid the American government in clamping down on organized crime activities, its scope has since been broadened to prosecute insider traders.
  65. shakedown: to blackmail or try to get money from someone; also to give someone a scare.
  66. shy: the interest charged on loans by loan sharks.
  67. shylock business: the business of loansharking.
  68. sitdown: a meeting, esp. with another family.
  69. soldier : the bottom-level member of an organized crime family who is made.
  70. spring cleaning: cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.
  71. straighten out, getting straightened out: becoming a made guy.
  72. tax: to take a percentage of someone's earnings.
  73. The Commission and the Sicilian Mafia Commission : two bodies, Italian-American and the Sicilian respectively, of leading Mafia members to decide on important questions concerning the actions of, and settling disputes within the Mafia.
  74. This Thing of Ours (Cosa Nostra): a mob family, or the entire mob.
  75. through the eye: a message job through the eye to say "We're watching you!"
  76. through the mouth: a message job through the mouth to indicate that someone WAS a rat.
  77. underboss : the second in command to the boss.
  78. vig : Vigorish abbr. the house's or bookie's take in gambling or the interest paid to a loan shark for the loan; also see juice.
  79. waste management business: euphemism for organized crime.
  80. whack: to murder; also clip, hit, pop, burn, put a contract out.
  81. wiseguy: a made man.
  82. zips : is a slang term often used as a derogatory slur by Italian American and Sicilian American mobsters in reference to newer immigrant Sicilian and Italian mafiosi.

Related Research Articles

The Havana Conference of 1946 was a historic meeting of United States Mafia and Cosa Nostra leaders in Havana, Cuba. Supposedly arranged by Charles "Lucky" Luciano, the conference was held to discuss important mob policies, rules, and business interests. The Havana Conference was attended by delegations representing crime families throughout the United States. The conference was held during the week of December 22, 1946, at the Hotel Nacional. The Havana Conference is considered to have been the most important mob summit since the Atlantic City Conference of 1929. Decisions made in Havana resonated throughout US crime families during the ensuing decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crime boss</span> Person in charge of a criminal organization

A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is the leader of a criminal organization.

The Colombo crime family is an Italian American Mafia crime family and is the youngest of the "Five Families" that dominate organized crime activities in New York City within the criminal organization known as the American Mafia. It was during Lucky Luciano's organization of the American Mafia after the Castellammarese War, following the assassinations of "Joe the Boss" Masseria and Salvatore Maranzano, that the gang run by Joseph Profaci became recognized as the Profaci crime family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Made man</span> Fully initiated member of the Mafia

In the American and Sicilian Mafia, a made man is a fully initiated member of the Mafia. To become "made", an associate first must be Italian or of Italian descent and sponsored by another made man. An inductee will be required to take the oath of omertà, the Mafia code of silence and code of honor. After the induction ceremony, the associate becomes a "made man" and holds the rank of soldier in the Mafia hierarchy. Made men are the only ones who can rise through the ranks of the Mafia, from soldier to caporegime, consigliere, underboss, and boss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patriarca crime family</span> Italian-American organized crime group

The Patriarca crime family, also known as the New England Mafia, the Boston Mafia, the Providence Mafia or The Office, is an Italian-American Mafia family operating in New England. It has two distinct factions, one based in Providence, Rhode Island, and the other in Boston, Massachusetts. The family is currently led by Carmen "The Cheese Man" Dinunzio, who is part of the Boston faction. The family is primarily active in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, with other territory throughout New England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victor Amuso</span> New York mobster

Vittorio "Little Vic" Amuso is an American mobster and the boss of the Lucchese crime family. He was described as "The Deadly Don" by Assistant United States Attorney Charles Rose. Amuso's reign is considered one of the bloodiest periods in American Mafia history during the late 1980s and early 1990s, alongside his former underboss and close protégé Anthony Casso, who turned informer against him in 1994. Since the death of Colombo crime family boss Carmine Persico in March 2019, Amuso is currently the longest-serving crime family boss of the Five Families and American Mafia, dating back to 1987. Amuso has been serving a life sentence since 1992 and is currently located at the Federal Correctional Complex, Butner, in North Carolina, on murder and racketeering charges.

The Pittsburgh crime family, also known as the LaRocca crime family or Pittsburgh Mafia, is an Italian American Mafia crime family based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The LaRocca family is one of the original 26 mafia families in the United States. In 2021, the boss Thomas "Sonny" Ciancutti died, he was also the last known made member of the family.

The Philadelphia crime family, also known as the Philadelphia Mafia, Philly Mob , Philly Mafia, Philadelphia-South Jersey Mafia, or Bruno-Scarfo family is an Italian-American Mafia family based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed and based in South Philadelphia, the criminal organization primarily operates in Philadelphia, South Jersey, and the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. The family is notorious for its violence, its succession of violent bosses, and multiple mob wars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D'Amato</span> American mobster

John "Johnny Boy" D'Amato was an American mobster and former acting boss of the DeCavalcante crime family in New Jersey from 1990 to 1992. D'Amato was a prominent made man of the DeCavalcante family and appointed head by Giovanni Riggi under the influence of Gambino crime family boss John Gotti. D'Amato was suspected of engaging in homosexual activity and assassinated in Brooklyn in January 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldato</span> Rank in Mafia hierarchy

A soldato or soldier is the first official level of both the Italian-American Mafia and the Sicilian Mafia in the formal Mafia hierarchy or cadre. It is also commonly used as a rank in other Italian criminal organizations, such as the 'Ndrangheta and Camorra. The promotion to the rank of soldier is an elevation in the chain of command from the associate level. The associate, who is not an initiated member of the Mafia, must prove himself to the family and take the oath of Omertà in order to become an initiated made man and therefore rise to the rank of soldato.

The American Mafia, commonly referred to in North America as the Italian-American Mafia, the Mafia, or the Mob, is a highly organized Italian American crime related society and organized crime related group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Cali</span> American mobster

Francesco Paolo Augusto "Frank" Cali, also known as "Franky Boy", was an American mobster and the acting boss of the Gambino crime family of New York City at the time of his death. Law enforcement considered Cali to have been the Gambinos' "ambassador to Sicilian mobsters" and had linked him to the Inzerillo Mafia family from Palermo. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Lipton, he was "seen as a man of influence and power by organized crime members in Italy". Cali was shot and killed outside his home in Staten Island on March 13, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles crime family</span> Italian-American organized crime group

The Los Angeles crime family, also known as the L.A. Mafia or the Southern California crime family, and dubbed "the Mickey Mouse Mafia" by former Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, is an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Los Angeles as part of the larger Italian-American Mafia. Since its inception in the early 20th century, it has spread throughout Southern California. Like most Mafia families in the United States, the Los Angeles crime family gained wealth and power through bootlegging alcohol during the Prohibition era. The L.A. family reached its peak strength in the 1940s and early 1950s under Jack Dragna, although the family was never larger than the New York or Chicago families. The Los Angeles crime family itself has been on a gradual decline, with the Chicago Outfit representing them on The Commission since the death of boss Jack Dragna in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Licata (mobster)</span>

Nick "Old Man" Licata was an Italian American mobster who was the boss of the Los Angeles crime family from 1967 until his death in 1974.

To become member of the Mafia or Cosa Nostra – to become a "man of honor" or a "made man" – an aspiring member must take part in an initiation ritual or initiation ceremony. The ceremony involves significant ritual, oaths, blood, and an agreement is made to follow the rules of the Mafia as presented to the inductee. The first known account of the ceremony dates back to 1877 in Sicily.

Joseph Anthony Miranda was an American mobster and member of the New Jersey-based DeCavalcante crime family. A longtime "soldier" to Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante and later boss Giovanni Riggi, he became acting underboss for Girolamo "Jimmy" Palermo following the imprisonment of many high-ranking members in 2003.

References

  1. ↑ Rick Cowan, Douglas Century (2002), "Glossary", Takedown: the fall of the last Mafia empire, G.P. Putnam's, ISBN   9780399148750, administration: the upper-level power structure of an organized-crime family, composed of the boss, underboss, ...
  2. ↑ Rick Cowan, Douglas Century (2002), "Glossary", Takedown: the fall of the last Mafia empire, G.P. Putnam's, ISBN   9780399148750, associate: someone who works with wiseguys, but who hasn't been sworn in as a member of thefamily.
  3. 1 2 Joseph Farrell (15 November 1997), "Glossary of mafia terms", Understanding the mafia, Manchester University Press, ISBN   9780719049002
  4. ↑ "IMDB Donnie Brasco : Quotes". IMDb . Retrieved 14 February 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.