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A Sicilian term that means “big shot” and “.95 Caliber,” referring to a particularly large and powerful rifle cartridge (hence, a “big shot”). In Puzo’s novel, Vito Corleone and other Mafia members refer to professionals such as lawyers, doctors, professors, politicians, church leaders and others who hold power and social capital in legitimate society as the pezzonavante. The term is largely pejorative, as Mafia members often believe the pessonovante’s power to be less than their own.
Pezzonovante Quotes in The Godfather
The The Godfather quotes below are all either spoken by Pezzonovante or refer to Pezzonovante. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
“A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.”
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Chapter 12
Quotes
“But you can’t get sore at him. It’s like getting sore at God.”
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Pezzonovante Term Timeline in The Godfather
The timeline below shows where the term Pezzonovante appears in The Godfather. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...for the Corleone Family. Hagen arrives in Los Angeles and meets with Jack Woltz, a pezzonovante (“big shot”) with powerful connections. Hagen offers to quell labor union agitation and to “handle”...
(full context)
Chapter 20
...that drugs are unlike whiskey, gambling, and women, vices that people want, but which the pezzonovantes in the church and in governments forbid. Dealing in drugs, will cost him his political...
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