The Everything Mafia Book (51 page)

swag:
Another word for stolen property.

take for a ride:
If you are taken for a ride, chances are you won’t be coming back.

tax:
A euphemism for taking a cut of another’s Mafioso’s booty.

telephone solicitor:
A bookmaker, or bookie, who takes bets over the phone.

through the eye:
As in a bullet in the eye.

through the mouth:
As in a bullet in the mouth. This is a form of execution administered to turncoats and stoolies.

trunk music:
This would not be music to your ears. This is the Mafia euphemism for the decomposing flesh of a murder victim stuffed into the trunk of a car.

underboss:
Second in command in a Mafia family.

underworld:
Not the Hades of Greek mythology. This is a generic expression for the world of organized crime.

usury:
Lending money and collecting interest. It was once banned by the Catholic Church but is a common practice by your credit card company and the corner loan shark. And the interest rate is not all that’s different between the two.

va fa napole:
An Italian expression that literally means “go to Naples” but is used to convey the sentiment “go to hell.”

vig:
The excessive interest of a loan shark, measured in points.

walking book:
A bookmaker who does not have an office. He makes the rounds to visit his clients.

walk-talk, take a walk:
To have a discussion in a public place, such as a golf course, to avoid the possibility that listening devices might pick up the conversation.

waste management business:
A slang expression for organized crime.

whack:
To commit murder.

wise guys:
Mafiosi who are not “made men,” hence not admitted to the inner sanctum.

Young Turks:
Aggressive and ambitious young Mafiosi who are a threat to the older established dons.

zips:
A term used to describe Sicilian Mafiosi operating in America. Originally a put-down, the term morphed into a catch-all term for any Italian mobster made overseas.

APPENDIX C
Mafia Timeline