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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