Post by Lady R O X Y on Jul 15, 2009 1:23:39 GMT -5
[Credits to The NC for this website that was tons of help--thank you!!]
Of course, not all of us are educated in the ways of the mafia. Here's a little bit of Mafia 101--mostly terms and ranks.
Ranks!
The Administration: The Administration is the upperlevel of the family and is comprised of the boss, under boss, and consigliere.
The Boss: The Boss is the head of the family. He is the one who tells whether or not to whack [kill off] or make [swear them to the family] someone and makes money from all Family operations. He is also called the don and chairman. [Availability--1/1--taken for both families]
The Under Boss: The rank right under the boss. The Under Boss is often an actual relative, like a son, who will take over the role as Boss if anything were to happen to The Boss. [Availability--0/1--open for both families]
The Consigliere: The adviser to The Boss and mediator between disputes among the ranks. [Availability--0/1--open for the Innocenzo family]
The Capodecina: A Family member who leads a crew or group of soldiers. [Availability-0/1--open for the Liberatore family]
The rest is usually comprised of thugs, assassins, spies, information gatherers, and people who are there for the media rep. If you have any other rank suggestions, PM me!
Mob terms!
administration: the upper-level power structure of an organized crime Family, composed of the boss, underboss, and consigliere.
associate: an almost-there; someone who works with and for wiseguys, but who hasn't been sworn in as a member of the Family.
babania: Heroin, as in dealing. Lucrative but risky for mob insiders because if they're busted, long prison terms might compel them to cut a deal and squeal. Usage: "These babania guys. They go, they get 848, 150 years (in prison). They're in there."--Gotti.
babbo: A dope, idiot, useless underling.
beef: a complaint or disagreement within the organization, usually discussed during a sit-down with higher-ups in the Family.
big earner: someone who makes a lot of money for the Family. A lot of money.
books, the: euphemism for membership in the Family, since nothing is ever written down. When there is an availability (when someone dies), the books are "opened." When no one is being "made," the books are "closed."
borgata: a crime Family; brugad.
Boss of Bosses; Capo di tutti capi: While no one proclaims himself the Boss of Bosses anymore, the press awards this title to whomever they feel is the boss of the strongest of the five Families of New York, who is also said to preside over Commission meetings.
broken: demoted in rank; "knocked down."
brugad: a crime family; borgata.
burn: to murder; synonyms: break an egg, clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, put out a contract on, whack.
button: a "made" member of the Mafia; soldier, wiseguy, goodfella, Man of Honor.
cafone: a phony or embarrassment to himself and others; "gavone" (slang pronunciation)
chased: to be banished from the Mafia and barred from associating or doing business with any made members. The punishment is merciful in that the offender is spared death.
cleaning: taking the necessary steps (driving around, stopping in various locations) to avoid being followed.
clip: to murder; see burn
clock: to keep track of someone's movements and activities.
comare: a Mafia mistress; "goumada" (slang pronunciation).
come in: To go see the boss when summoned. Usage:
Gravano: "There were complaints he wasn't coming in."
Gleeson: "So what did you do?"
Gravano: "We killed him."
Commission, The: the Mafia "ruling body", typically a panel made up of the bosses of the five New York Families, Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno sometimes with representatives from other U.S. Families, such as Chicago.
compare: crony, close pal, buddy. Literally, "godfather" in Italian.
consigliere: the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the ranks.
contract: a murder assignment.
Cosa Nostra: Italian for "this thing of ours," "our thing," a mob family, the Mafia.
crew: a group of soldiers that takes orders from a capo.
cugine: a young toughguy looking to be made.
Cyborgata(tm): A word coined by a reader of the John Gotti Tribute Page. Cyberspace + borgata = Online Crime Family.
do a piece of work: to murder; see burn.
earner: someone whose expertise is making money for the Family.
empty suit: someone with nothing to offer who tries to hang around with mobsters.
enforcer: a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate with Family rules or deals.
fence: someone with worldwide outlets to liquidate swag.
friend of mine: introduction of a third person who is not a member of the Family but who can be vouched for by a Family member.
friend of ours: introduction of one made member to another.
get a place ready: To find a burial site.
gift: A bribe, sometimes for a juror. Jurors in two previous trials of Gambino family members (supposedly) received these, resulting in the inability of both juries to reach a guilty verdict.
give a pass: To grant a reprieve from being whacked. Usage: "Stay in Staten Island, lay low, and I will give you a pass."--Gravano.
going: About to be whacked. Usage: "Right after the trial, he was going."--Salvatore Gravano.
going south: stealing, passing money under the table, going on the lam.
goombah, goomba, gumba: Sicilian slang for the Italian compare; plural: goombata
goumada: see comare.
hard-on with a suitcase: mob lawyer; feminine: half a hard-on with a suitcase.
hot place: a location suspected of being the target of law enforcement or surveillance.
ice: to murder; see burn.
joint, the: prison; synonyms: the can, the pen, go away to college.
loanshark: someone who lends mob money at an exorbitant interest rate; a shylock.
made: to be sworn into La Cosa Nostra; synonyms: to be "straightened out," to get your button.
make a marriage: to bring two parties together for legitimate or illegitimate Family issues.
mattresses, hitting the, taking to the: going to war with a rival Family or gang.
meat eater: a corrupt cop (not exclusively mobspeak).
Mustache Petes: old-fashioned or older generation Mafiosi.
nut, the: mobspeak for "the bottom line"; also the gross profit figure.
Omertà: the code of silence and one of the premier vows taken when being sworn into the Family. Violation is punishable by death.
off the record: an action taken without the knowledge or approval of the Family.
on the record: an action sanctioned by the Family.
piece: a gun.
pinched: arrested.
pop: to murder; see burn
problem: A liability, someone likely to be whacked. Usage, from the trial:
Gravano: "He started taking drugs and became a problem."
Prosecutor John Gleeson: "Did you do anything once you perceived this problem?"
Gravano: "Yes."
Gleeson: "What did you do?"
Gravano: "We killed him."
rat: a member who violates Omertà; synonyms: squealer, canary, snitch, stool pigeon, yellow dog.
shylock: see loanshark
sit-down: a meeting with the Family administration to settle disputes.
skim: Tax-free gambling profits, as in the money taken that is not reported to the IRS.
skipper: a capo.
stand-up guy: someone who refuses to rat out the Family no matter what the pressure, offer, or threat.
swag: stolen goods.
vig: the interest payment on a loan from a loanshark (short for "vigorish"). Synonym: juice.
vouch for: to personally guarantee -- with one's life -- the reputation of someone dealing with the Family.
walk talk, take a walk: to conduct a sensitive discussion while striding up and down the block to avoid being overheard on those pesky eavesdropping devices. Usage: "Sammy tells me you and him took a walk about a concrete plant in New Jersey."--Gotti.
whack: to murder; see burn.
Young Turks: Younger, less traditional generation of Mafiosi. Less likely to live by the old rules.
Zips: American Mafiosi's derogatory term for Sicilian Mafiosi.
Of course, not all of us are educated in the ways of the mafia. Here's a little bit of Mafia 101--mostly terms and ranks.
Ranks!
The Administration: The Administration is the upperlevel of the family and is comprised of the boss, under boss, and consigliere.
The Boss: The Boss is the head of the family. He is the one who tells whether or not to whack [kill off] or make [swear them to the family] someone and makes money from all Family operations. He is also called the don and chairman. [Availability--1/1--taken for both families]
The Under Boss: The rank right under the boss. The Under Boss is often an actual relative, like a son, who will take over the role as Boss if anything were to happen to The Boss. [Availability--0/1--open for both families]
The Consigliere: The adviser to The Boss and mediator between disputes among the ranks. [Availability--0/1--open for the Innocenzo family]
The Capodecina: A Family member who leads a crew or group of soldiers. [Availability-0/1--open for the Liberatore family]
The rest is usually comprised of thugs, assassins, spies, information gatherers, and people who are there for the media rep. If you have any other rank suggestions, PM me!
Mob terms!
administration: the upper-level power structure of an organized crime Family, composed of the boss, underboss, and consigliere.
associate: an almost-there; someone who works with and for wiseguys, but who hasn't been sworn in as a member of the Family.
babania: Heroin, as in dealing. Lucrative but risky for mob insiders because if they're busted, long prison terms might compel them to cut a deal and squeal. Usage: "These babania guys. They go, they get 848, 150 years (in prison). They're in there."--Gotti.
babbo: A dope, idiot, useless underling.
beef: a complaint or disagreement within the organization, usually discussed during a sit-down with higher-ups in the Family.
big earner: someone who makes a lot of money for the Family. A lot of money.
books, the: euphemism for membership in the Family, since nothing is ever written down. When there is an availability (when someone dies), the books are "opened." When no one is being "made," the books are "closed."
borgata: a crime Family; brugad.
Boss of Bosses; Capo di tutti capi: While no one proclaims himself the Boss of Bosses anymore, the press awards this title to whomever they feel is the boss of the strongest of the five Families of New York, who is also said to preside over Commission meetings.
broken: demoted in rank; "knocked down."
brugad: a crime family; borgata.
burn: to murder; synonyms: break an egg, clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, put out a contract on, whack.
button: a "made" member of the Mafia; soldier, wiseguy, goodfella, Man of Honor.
cafone: a phony or embarrassment to himself and others; "gavone" (slang pronunciation)
chased: to be banished from the Mafia and barred from associating or doing business with any made members. The punishment is merciful in that the offender is spared death.
cleaning: taking the necessary steps (driving around, stopping in various locations) to avoid being followed.
clip: to murder; see burn
clock: to keep track of someone's movements and activities.
comare: a Mafia mistress; "goumada" (slang pronunciation).
come in: To go see the boss when summoned. Usage:
Gravano: "There were complaints he wasn't coming in."
Gleeson: "So what did you do?"
Gravano: "We killed him."
Commission, The: the Mafia "ruling body", typically a panel made up of the bosses of the five New York Families, Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, and Bonanno sometimes with representatives from other U.S. Families, such as Chicago.
compare: crony, close pal, buddy. Literally, "godfather" in Italian.
consigliere: the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the ranks.
contract: a murder assignment.
Cosa Nostra: Italian for "this thing of ours," "our thing," a mob family, the Mafia.
crew: a group of soldiers that takes orders from a capo.
cugine: a young toughguy looking to be made.
Cyborgata(tm): A word coined by a reader of the John Gotti Tribute Page. Cyberspace + borgata = Online Crime Family.
do a piece of work: to murder; see burn.
earner: someone whose expertise is making money for the Family.
empty suit: someone with nothing to offer who tries to hang around with mobsters.
enforcer: a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate with Family rules or deals.
fence: someone with worldwide outlets to liquidate swag.
friend of mine: introduction of a third person who is not a member of the Family but who can be vouched for by a Family member.
friend of ours: introduction of one made member to another.
get a place ready: To find a burial site.
gift: A bribe, sometimes for a juror. Jurors in two previous trials of Gambino family members (supposedly) received these, resulting in the inability of both juries to reach a guilty verdict.
give a pass: To grant a reprieve from being whacked. Usage: "Stay in Staten Island, lay low, and I will give you a pass."--Gravano.
going: About to be whacked. Usage: "Right after the trial, he was going."--Salvatore Gravano.
going south: stealing, passing money under the table, going on the lam.
goombah, goomba, gumba: Sicilian slang for the Italian compare; plural: goombata
goumada: see comare.
hard-on with a suitcase: mob lawyer; feminine: half a hard-on with a suitcase.
hot place: a location suspected of being the target of law enforcement or surveillance.
ice: to murder; see burn.
joint, the: prison; synonyms: the can, the pen, go away to college.
loanshark: someone who lends mob money at an exorbitant interest rate; a shylock.
made: to be sworn into La Cosa Nostra; synonyms: to be "straightened out," to get your button.
make a marriage: to bring two parties together for legitimate or illegitimate Family issues.
mattresses, hitting the, taking to the: going to war with a rival Family or gang.
meat eater: a corrupt cop (not exclusively mobspeak).
Mustache Petes: old-fashioned or older generation Mafiosi.
nut, the: mobspeak for "the bottom line"; also the gross profit figure.
Omertà: the code of silence and one of the premier vows taken when being sworn into the Family. Violation is punishable by death.
off the record: an action taken without the knowledge or approval of the Family.
on the record: an action sanctioned by the Family.
piece: a gun.
pinched: arrested.
pop: to murder; see burn
problem: A liability, someone likely to be whacked. Usage, from the trial:
Gravano: "He started taking drugs and became a problem."
Prosecutor John Gleeson: "Did you do anything once you perceived this problem?"
Gravano: "Yes."
Gleeson: "What did you do?"
Gravano: "We killed him."
rat: a member who violates Omertà; synonyms: squealer, canary, snitch, stool pigeon, yellow dog.
shylock: see loanshark
sit-down: a meeting with the Family administration to settle disputes.
skim: Tax-free gambling profits, as in the money taken that is not reported to the IRS.
skipper: a capo.
stand-up guy: someone who refuses to rat out the Family no matter what the pressure, offer, or threat.
swag: stolen goods.
vig: the interest payment on a loan from a loanshark (short for "vigorish"). Synonym: juice.
vouch for: to personally guarantee -- with one's life -- the reputation of someone dealing with the Family.
walk talk, take a walk: to conduct a sensitive discussion while striding up and down the block to avoid being overheard on those pesky eavesdropping devices. Usage: "Sammy tells me you and him took a walk about a concrete plant in New Jersey."--Gotti.
whack: to murder; see burn.
Young Turks: Younger, less traditional generation of Mafiosi. Less likely to live by the old rules.
Zips: American Mafiosi's derogatory term for Sicilian Mafiosi.