Glossary¶
Mafia terms, Italian-American dialect, and the show's own vocabulary.
The organization¶
Boss — Head of a family. In the show: Ercole DiMeo (imprisoned), then Jackie Aprile Sr. (acting), then Junior (nominal), then Tony.
Underboss — Second in command.
Consigliere — Counselor to the boss, outside the chain of command. Silvio Dante holds it for most of the series.
Caporegime (capo) — A captain running a crew of soldiers in a territory.
Soldier (soldato) — A formally initiated member at the base of the structure.
Associate — Works with the family without being a member. Non-Italians can only ever be associates — which is why Hesh Rabkin, one of Tony's most trusted advisors, can never be made.
Made — Formally initiated. Getting your button. The show depicts a ceremony for Christopher in season three.
The Commission — The governing body of the American Mafia, largely offstage here; the show's inter-family politics run through Johnny Sack and New York instead.
This thing of ours (cosa nostra) — What members call it. Nobody in the show says "the Mafia" about themselves without irony.
The business¶
Earner — Someone who generates money. The only quality that reliably buys protection, which is why Ralph and Vito survive as long as they do.
Bust-out — Taking over a legitimate business, maxing its credit lines, stripping the assets, and burning it. The clearest demonstration is Davey Scatino's sporting goods store in "Bust Out" (S2E23).
No-show job — A payroll position requiring no work, used to launder money and reward loyalty.
The skim / the envelope — Cash tribute passed up the chain.
Vig — Interest on a loan-shark debt.
Sit-down — A mediated meeting to resolve a dispute.
Going to the mattresses — Going to war. The crew does it in "The Blue Comet" (S6E85).
Whacked / clipped — Killed. Rat / flipped — Informant.
Italian-American dialect¶
The show's most underrated accuracy. These are Southern Italian dialect forms — largely Neapolitan and Sicilian — worn down by a century in New Jersey, and the pronunciations are genuine rather than invented.
The pattern is consistent: final vowels drop, and initial consonants soften (c→g, p→b, t→d).
| As said | From | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gabagool | capicola | Cured pork shoulder. The show's most famous word. |
| manigott | manicotti | Pasta |
| mutzadell | mozzarella | Cheese |
| prosciutt' | prosciutto | Ham |
| ricott' | ricotta | Cheese |
| braciol' | braciola | Rolled meat — also, crudely, slang |
| agita | acidità | Heartburn; anxiety. Tony has it constantly. |
| goomar / comare | cumare | Mistress |
| goombah / compare | cumpà | Close friend; associate |
| stugots | sti cazzi | Vulgar. Also the name of Tony's boat. |
| oobatz / pazzo | u' pazzu | Crazy |
| medigan' | americano | A non-Italian American — mildly contemptuous |
| skeevy | schifare | Disgusting |
| cent'anni | — | "A hundred years" — a toast |
The linguistic point matters: these words are a fossil record. They preserve regional forms that have themselves changed or vanished in Italy, carried over by immigrants around 1900 and frozen. When Paulie goes to Naples in "Commendatori" and nobody recognizes his food vocabulary, that's the joke. See Italian-American Identity.
The show's own vocabulary¶
"Oh" — Not a word, a greeting. Delivered as a full sentence, usually across a room, and doing the work of hello, I acknowledge your existence, and we are on the same terms as yesterday.
"Whaddaya gonna do?" — The house philosophy: a verbal shrug that converts moral responsibility into weather. Deployed by nearly every character, deliberately.
"Fuhgeddaboudit" — Genuine, though the show uses it sparingly and self-consciously, aware it's a cliché.
"Members Only" — A jacket brand, an episode title (S6E1), and — in the finale — an unnamed man at a counter. See The Ending.
"Every day is a gift" — Tony's post-coma mantra in season six. Lasts about four episodes.
"It's all a big nothing" — Livia's doctrine, inherited by A.J.