You want to be a part of the mafia but you don’t know how to talk the talk? You need some help? OK, you don’t know who you’re dealing with but I guess I can set something up for you.
You don’t know me! You hear? Don’t bring my name up with this stronzate. Keep some of these words in mind before you speak with anyone.
Good luck, now get the hell outta here…
stronzate– bullshit
Goombah– a male buddy
Un/una saccente– a know it all or a smart ass.
Chiaccierone– chatterbox
Che bruta– “How ugly you are”
Che peccato– “What a pity”
Bello– handsome
Cafone– loser
Omerta– This is the mafia’s vow of silence. You must take this vow to be in the mafia.
Amico– a friend that’s not a member of the crime family.
Mortadella– This is an Italian bologna however it’s used as ‘loser’ as well.
Chiudere il becco– to shut up. (literally meaning ‘to close the beak’)
Fratellanza– brotherhood
Pazzo– crazy
Va fa napole- This literally means ‘ go to Naples’ however in mafia lingo it’s ‘go to hell’
Imbarasso– embarrassment
So you want to be bad, tough, and part of the mafia? Yea, well, good luck goombah. It’s quiet difficult to be mafioso around these parts… You don’t want to be un saccente around us.
If you come around here being a chiaccierone and someone doesn’t like what you have to say, forgettabout it!
Che bruta, really, you are. Che peccato, usually, us mafioso’s are often bello. What the hell happen to you cafone?
Anyway, if you want to be made and take the omerta, I got to introduce you to him. You don’t need to know his name right now.
Here he is… Hey, I got someone you got to meet, no, not an amico, a real mortadella this one! He wants to join us, I told him to chiudere il becco but he won’t. Get outta here, I’m done with him, he’s all yours boss.
So you want to be in the fratellanza? You got some balls asking us about this matter. Are you pazzo?! You must be, do you know who we are!? Forgettabout it! You are nobody, you’re lucky I don’t wack you right now. Va fa napole!
Hey goombah, I heard they didn’t let you in the mafia. What the hell happen? I hope you didn’t mention my name…Ay, if you did… imbarazzo! Tough break you cafone. You should practice your Italian and try next time. Ciao!
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