This Mafia vocabulary lesson will help you understand the words the Mafia, gangster, violent, contract, underworld, Mafioso, the Mob, racket and organised crime correctly.
The Mafia noun a criminal organisation that began in Sicily and now is also in Italy and America
- Sergio has been a member of the Mafia in Sicily since 1994.
(a) gangster noun a member of an organised group of criminals
- Ronnie is a gangster and has been robbing banks since he joined the Kray gang in 1959.
violent adjective used to describe a situation or event in which people are hurt or killed
- Gangsters can be violent men who commit violent crimes.
(a) contract noun an agreement when someone is paid to kill another person
- Gianni had spoken to the police. Now there was a contract for his death.
(the) underworld noun the world of criminals and organised crime
- The underworld is a mysterious place most people don’t see.
(a) mafioso noun a member of the Mafia
- Paolo joined the Mafia in the 1970s and was now a senior mafioso.
The Mob noun another name for the American Mafia
- The Mob control a lot of the casinos in New York.
(a) racket noun an illegal activity that makes money
- Dino was involved in every type of racket you could imagine – drugs, guns, everything.
(an) organised crime noun crimes that are planned and controlled by a large powerful secret organisation
- Money laundering is a global organised crime requiring expert knowledge of financial systems.
Now do the Mafia exercise.
Listen to the word in the audio and then choose the correct definition.
Now watch the video to clarify and reinforce your understanding of the vocabulary.
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