La Cosa Nostra Secret Language: The Mobspeak Lexicon
The Mobspeak is the secret anti-language that the Mafia created using cryptic words to exclude outsiders and hide the activities of The Familia.
For instance, there are over twenty words for the verb “Kill”.
If someone were to disrespect The Family’ somebody might do a “piece of work on” him. He could get whacked, erased, burned, clipped, iced, or hit — just to name a few.
Following is a Mobspeak lexicon that should help fellow subtitlers when translating mafia movie scripts:
INDICATIONS AND USAGES: USE ONLY IN THE TRANSLATION FIELD.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: THIS LEXICON IS CONTRAINDICATED IN TRANSLATORS LIVING IN PLACES FREQUENTED BY MOB FIGURES.
A Friend of Ours: Mob shorthand for introducing one made guy to another made guy. “A Friend of Mine” is just another jamook on the street.
Administration: top-level “Management” of an organized crime Family—the boss, underboss, and consigliere.
Babbo: A mafia term for an underling who is considered to be useless – you don’t want to be one of these or your days may be numbered.
Big Earner: Mafia lingo for someone who makes a lot of money for the family.
The Books: A phrase indicating membership in the Family. If there is a possibility for promotion, then the books are open. If not, the books are closed.
Boss: Head of the Family who runs the show. He decides who gets made and who gets whacked. The boss also gets points from all Family business.
Cafone: Peasant or lower-class.
Che Bruta: How ugly you are.
Che Peccato: What a pity, what a shame.
Clock: To keep a person under surveillance.
Code of Silence: Not ratting on your colleagues once you’ve been pinched—no longer a strong virtue in organized crime families.
Come Heavy: To walk in carrying a loaded gun. You should not have lunch with a Russian drug dealer unless you “come heavy.”
Consigliere: The counsellor to the boss.
Contract: A murder assignment.
CW: FBI shorthand for Co-operating Witness.
Do a piece of work: To murder; see burn.
Don: The head of the Family; boss.
Family: An organized crime clan, like the Genoveses, the Gottis, or the Sopranos.
G: A grand; a thousand dollars; also see large.
Guests of the State or Guests of the Government: Going to prison, doing time.
In the Wind: After you leave the Witness protection program you are “in the wind,” meaning you are on your own somewhere out there.
Made Guy: An indoctrinated member of the Family. Essentially, you pledge your allegiance to the boss and the family for life. To even qualify, your mother has to be Italian.
Mobbed up: Connected to the mob.
Moe Green Special: Getting killed with a shot in the eye, like the character, Moe Green, in The Godfather. One form of “sending a message.”
OC: FBI talk for Organized Crime.
The Program: The Witness Protection Program.
Rat: One who snitches or squeals after having been pinched.
Schifosa: Ugly woman.
Spring Cleaning: Cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.
Through the Eye: A message job through the eye to say “We’re watching you!”
Va Fa Napole: ”Go to Naples” (i.e., “Go to hell.”).
Please keep safe and decent.