redfellas
n. Members of the Russian mafia.
Etymology
Examples
1997
Helpfully for the screenwriter the dialogue is good, in parts excellent. One character derides a bunch of Russian redfellas with: "Killing is their history. Making money never was."
—Hugh Macdonald, “When it pays to negotiate a small hurdle,” The Herald (Glasgow), October 04, 1997
1997
Officials say the Russian mafiosi — police like to call them "Redfellas" — have established a beachhead in Miami, from where many of their illegal activities are being organised.
—David Adams et. al., “Russian mafia in Colombia drug link,” The Times, September 30, 1997
1994 (earliest)
There are fifty ways of saying "to steal" in Russian, and the Russian mafia uses them all.
—Claire Sterling, “Redfellas,” The New Republic, April 11, 1994
Filed Under
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