"Cumpari of the Tall One"?

[Bing Bang 74]

Random question: is anyone able to decipher the meaning behind the nickname "Cumpari of the Tall One" For Baldassare Amato? It's mentioned as an alias for him in the 2014 Bonanno list (https://lcnbios.blogspot.com/2018/06/bo ... -2014.html), but I can't possibly understand why they would call him that. I'd almost consider it a typing error. Only thing I could guess is "cumpari" probably comes from "compare" in Italian or the equivalent to "goombah".

[Moscone65]

He’s the cumpare of the tall one, Cesare bonventre.

[Shellackhead]

Probably means, compare the tall one. And they added the of, cus if the of goes, then that makes no sense

[LarryC]

First, it’s cumpare (singular), not cumpari. Second, in this case, it could mean friend or godfather of the tall one. In Italian it’s used to mean godfather too.

[PolackTony]

Lu/‘u cumpari (plural li/‘i cumpari ) is the Sicilian equivalent to “il compare” in Italian. As LarryC noted, the terms are literally used to refer to a baptismal godfather (though in Italian, this is formally “padrino”), though they are very often used colloquially to refer to a male friend. “Goomba” in the US is derived from the Napolitan’ pronunciation of the causal, shortened form “compà” (cumpà in Sicilianu).

The nickname was just referring to the fact that Baldo was close to Cesare Bonventre.

[Bing Bang 74]

I see, thank you for all your priceless insight, gentlemen.

[Hired_Goonz]

What a wack nickname. I wonder if guys actually called him that.

[Moscone65]

Sometimes there’s a mistranslation as cumpari because some americans pronounce the letter e in Italian words as “ee”. In Italian they pronounce that sound with the letter I, the letter e in Italian is pronounced “eh”

[PolackTony]

Sometimes there’s a mistranslation as cumpari because some americans pronounce the letter e in Italian words as “ee”. In Italian they pronounce that sound with the letter I, the letter e in Italian is pronounced “eh”

In Sicilianu it is spelled and pronounced “cumpari”. Not a mispronunciation or mistranslation in this case, as Sicilianu is not Italian.

[Shellackhead]

Lu/‘u cumpari (plural li/‘i cumpari ) is the Sicilian equivalent to “il compare” in Italian. As LarryC noted, the terms are literally used to refer to a baptismal godfather (though in Italian, this is formally “padrino”), though they are very often used colloquially to refer to a male friend. “Goomba” in the US is derived from the Napolitan’ pronunciation of the causal, shortened form “compà” (cumpà in Sicilianu).

The nickname was just referring to the fact that Baldo was close to Cesare Bonventre.

This makes a lot of sense. I wonder how much clout these two had in the late 70s up to Bonventre’s death. Also, how did Baldo react to it

[baldo]

Also is used for the best man in a wedding. My parents often refer to their best man as that. But I also call my godfather that.

[LarryC]

Also is used for the best man in a wedding. My parents often refer to their best man as that. But I also call my godfather that.

Yes, absolutely. Italian tradition is that the best man at your wedding is godfather to your first horn. So they are called the same.

[B.]

Amato also called Sciascia his compare. Don't know if there was an actual baptismal relationship but they were extremely close.

[antimafia]

^^^^
Sciascia wasn’t exactly truthful at times when being interviewed by a Canadian consular official in NYC who was reviewing Sciascia’s request to relocate to Canada — screenshot below is from The Sixth Family, 3rd ed., 2014.



———-
I can’t remember whether "Tall Guy" was a media appellation for Bonventre. Regardless, it goes back to at least 1984, if not earlier — see, for example, https://content.time.com/time/subscribe ... 98,00.html.

[B.]

Ok so he did say there was a baptismal relationship. Thank you.

My comment was based on what Vitale said, that after Sciascia's murder Amato came to him crying and said "They killed my compare."

Interesting Sciascia claimed he knew the elder Amato in Sicily. Would mean Sciascia had contact with the Castellammaresi. Small island but those connections are always good to know.