Meaning
What does Gabagool mean?
Gabagool is the American-Italian form of the word capocollo, also known as capicola, a kind of cold cut Italian and Sardinian ham, similar to giambone, which itself served as the origin for the slang term Jabroni.
The expression is often heard in the television series, The Sopranos, as well as references to said show.
In slang usage, “Gabagool” is used as an insult to people, where telling someone “You’re a gabagool” is synonymous to calling them a female reproductive organ – due to the visual similarities between the two things.
Origin
What's the origin of Gabagool?
Many words from all kinds of languages have been adopted into American English; Italian is not different from that, with several modern day English words being traceable back to the Romance language of the Mediterranean.
Words like these are Jabroni and the centerpiece of the article, “Gabagool”.
“Gabagool” had been almost unrecognizably modified from its original form in Italian, and this is accredited to the immigrants, who travelled through the ocean, to the land of opportunities.
Most of these people, fleeing their homeland were of Southern Italian, especially Napolitan ancestry.
This is notable information, seeing as how the cultures of Italians differ from region to region, especially north from south, which serves as an explanation to why “Gabagool” sounds so unlike the Tuscan-based standard Italian “capocollo”.
Spread & Usage
How did Gabagool spread?
The term had spread on one side because of the massive amounts of Italian immigrants arriving to the shores of the United States in the last century.
The other important factor was how it has been adapted in several films and television series, turning into a veritable catchphrase in “The Sopranos”, while also being referenced in “The Office” episode “Mafia”.
Gabagool was defined on Urban Dictionary already in 2003.
Online, it also spread far and wide, serving as inspiration for a wide variety of names, given to products such as the “Gabagool” cheese, “Gabagool” cigar and “Gabagool” crypto.
“Gabagool” compilations from “The Sopranos” also became a popular trend on YouTube.
External resources
- Esquire – What the Hell is ‘Gabagool,’ and Why Does Tony Soprano Talk About It All the Time?
- Urban Dictionary – Gabagool