pizzo

lace; pointed tip; extortion money

noun PEET-tsoh Rare

Origin: Germanic origin, related to 'spitze' (point)

Also means

protection racket

Usage Note

Pizzo is the ordinary word for 'lace' trim on fabric, but in southern Italian contexts it also means the extortion payment demanded by the mafia — a false-friend trap. The compound pagare il pizzo ('to pay protection money') is a fixed idiom; il pizzo del merletto means the decorative edging of lacework.

Examples

"La tovaglia ha un pizzo ricamato."

Natural Translation

The tablecloth has embroidered lace.

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