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administration: the upper-level power structure of an organized crime family, composed of
the boss, underboss, and consigliere.
associate: an almost-there; someone who works with and for wiseguys, but who
hasn't been sworn in as a member of the Family or a non-Italian.
babania: Heroin, as in dealing. Lucrative but risky
for mob insiders because if they're busted, long prsion terms might compel them to cut a deal and rat.
babbo: a dope,
idiot, useless underling.
beef: a complaint or disagreement within organization, usually discussed during a sit down
with the higher level Family members.
big earner: someone who makes a LOT of money for the Family.
books,
the: euphemism for membership in the Family, since nothing is written down. When there is availibility, the books are "opened".
When no one is being "made" the books are "closed".
borgata: a crime Family; brugad
boss: the head of the
crime Family; he is the only one who gives permission to "whack" or "make" someone, and he makes money from all Family operations;
aka- don
Boss of Bosses; Capo di tutti capi: while no one proclaims himself the Boss of Bosses anymore, the press
awards this title to whomever they feel is the boss of the strongest of the five families of New York, who is also said to
preside over Commission meetings.
broken: demoted in rank; "knocked down"
brugad: a crime family; borgata
burn: to murder; aka- break an egg, clip, do a piece of work, hit, ice, pop, put out a contract on, whack.
button:
a "made" member of the Mafia; soldier, wiseguy, goodfella, Man of Honor
cafone: a phony or embarrassment to himself
or others; gavone
capo: ranking member of a Family who heads a crew of soldiers; a skipper
Capo di tutti capi:
see Boss of bosses
chased: to be banished from the Mafia and barred from associating or doing business with any made
members. The punishment is merciful in that the offender is spared death.
cleaning: taking the necessary steps (driving
around, stopping in various locations) to avoid being followed.
clip: to murder; see burn
clock: to keep track
of someone's movements and activities
comare: a Mafia mistress; goumada
come in: to go see the boss when summoned
Commission, the: the Mafia "ruling body", typically a panel made up of the bosses of the five NY families (Gambino,
Genovese, Lucchese, Colombo, Bonanno) sometimes with representatives from other US families, such as Chicago.
compare:
crony, close pal, buddy
consigliere: the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the
ranks
contract: a murder assignment
Cosa Nostra: "This thing of ours"
crew: a group of soldiers that
takes orders from a capo
cugine: a young toughguy looking to be made
do a piece of work: to murder; see burn
earner: someone whose expertise is making money for the Family
empty suit: someone with nothing to offer who
tries to hang around with mobsters
enforcer: a person who threatens, maims, or kills someone who doesn't cooperate
with Family rules or deals.
fence: someone with worldwide outlets to liquidate swag
friend of mine: introduction
of a third person who is not a member of the Family but who can be vouched for by a Family member
friend of ours:
introduction of one made member to another
gavone: see cafone
get a place ready: to find a burial site
gift:
a bribe, sometimes for a juror, etc.
give a pass: to grant a reprieve from being whacked
going: about to be
whacked
going south: stealing, passing money under the table, going on the lam
goombah, goomba, gumba: Sicilian
slang for the Italian compare; goombata
goumada: see comare
hard-on with a suitcase: mob lawyer; feminine-
half a hard-on with a suitcase
hot place: a location suspected of being target of law enforcement or surveillance
ice: to murder; see burn
joint, the: prison; aka- the can, the pen, go away to college
loanshark:
someone who lends money at an exorbitant interest rate; a shylock
made: to be sworn into LCN; aka- "straightened out",
to get your button
make a marriage: bring two parties together for legitimate or illegitimate Family issues.
mattresses,
hitting the, taking to the: going to war with a rival Family or gang
meat eater: a corrupt cop (not exclusively mobspeak)
Moustache Petes: old fashioned or older generation Mafiosi
nut, the: "the bottom line"; gross profit figure
Omerta: the code of silence and one of the premier vows taken when being sworn into the Family. Violation is punishable
by death.
off the record: an action taken without the knowledge or approval of the Family
on the record: an
action sanctioned by the Family
piece: gun
pinched: arrested
pop: to murder; see burn
problem:
a liability, someone likely to be whacked
rat: a member who violates Omerta; aka- squealer, canary, snitch, stool
pigeon, yellow dog.
shylock: see loanshark
sit-down: a meeting with the Family administration to settle disputes
skim: tax-free gambling profits, money taken that is not reported to the IRS
skipper: a capo
stand-up
guy: someone who refuses to rat out the Family no matter what the pressure- offer or threat.
swag: stolen goods
vig:
interest payment on a loan from a loanshark; (vigorish); aka- juice
vouch for: to personally guarentee- with one's
life- the reputation of someone dealing with the Family
walk talk, take a walk: to conduct a sensitive discussion
while striding up and down the block to avoid being overheard on surveillance devices
whack: to murder
Young
turks: younger, less traditional generation of Mafiosi. Less likely to live by the old rules
Zips: American Mafiosi's
derogatory term for Sicilian Mafiosi.
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These are Russian Mafiya terms
| anasha |
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hashish.
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| apparat |
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the name denoting the entire civil service during the Soviet era (The elite membership
of the apparat was known as the nomenklatura--see below.)
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| apparatchik |
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a member of the Soviet civil service. Also often used indiscriminately to cover
the nomenklatura as well.
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| avtoritet |
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authority. Leader of one of the new commercial-oriented mafiya groups.
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| baklany |
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punks.
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| bandity |
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common word used among police referring to hoodlums.
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| bespredel |
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disorder; literally beyond limits.
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| blat |
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old Soviet term for contacts in the right places. When someone manages to use his
contacts to get a favor or a position. It is done 'poblatu.'
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| blatnoi/blatnye |
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a catch-all term used by hoodlums to refer to themselves and their ('blatnoi';)
way of life. The gangs' answer to police description of them as 'bandity.'
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| brat na pont |
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to bluff (take someone by storm).
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| bratski krug |
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circle of brothers; said to be main inner structure of vorovskoi mir; (also) 'bratskaya
semyorka' (the brotherhood of seven).
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| brodyagi |
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a criminal caste below vor, vagabonds; (leaders-in-training).
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| byki |
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bodyguards;
(literally bulls).
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| chainik |
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prison bully (literally cheap teapot, like the ones used in Russian prisons).
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| choirs |
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name for gangs in St Petersburg in last century; they met at taverns.
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| chorniye smoridiny |
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or simply Chorniye (blacks): nickname for Caucasians.
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| dan |
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taxes (tribute), collected by racketeers.
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| fartsovchik |
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black-market dealer, usually young, dealing in street-corner sales. Appeared in
1980s.
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| gastralyor |
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guest criminal (from other cities).
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| grokhnut |
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to shoot; literally to bang (sound); one of several slang words for killing; others
below.
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| kaif |
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'high' as on drugs. A Central Asian word.
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| kalol |
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injection (drugs).
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| kit' |
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big fish/crime target; literally whale.
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| klichka |
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nickname/handle.
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| lavit kaif |
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to get high (on drugs), 'V. kaifu' means feeling pleasure at being high.
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| lavrushniki |
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another nickname for Caucasian vory (see above).
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| limoni/tri limona |
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one lemon (million rubles)/three lemons (three million).
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| loshadka |
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in drug trade. Methadon (Russian word for little horse or hobby horse).
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| lunakhod |
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police van; literally moonwalker.
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| mafiya |
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generic term used across the Soviet Union since the 1970s to denote Party barons
accused of corruption, black market speculators or sometimes just sections of society the speaker did not happen to like.
By 1992, it carried an additional meaning to describe the groups of criminal entrepreneurs and corrupt officials who came
to prominence in the post-Soviet era.
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| makler |
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apartment broker/fixer - after German.
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| maslinichnii mak |
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oily poppy. Drugs.
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| ment |
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cop.
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| moschenniki |
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swindlers.
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| mussor |
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cop; literally garbage.
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| na narakh |
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behind bars/in prison (zhoglo).
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| na svobodye |
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free from prison, 'in freedom.'
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| nayekhat |
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raid/apply gang pressure, extort; to collect dan literally to run into/over.
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| nomenklatura |
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the elite membership of the Soviet governing system, so called because their names
appear on the nomenklature or list of the most loyal Party officials eligible for senior posts at home and overseas.
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| obshchak |
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criminal treasury.
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| opuschiny (opuskat') |
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persons who've been raped in prison; literally, to lower.
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| pakhan |
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chief of band; crime boss.
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| panama |
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dummy company/in bureaucracy.
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| patsani |
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young lads/warriors who make up criminal gangs.
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| pika |
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slang word for a knife. This is slang for the whole former Soviet Union.
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| po ponyatiyam |
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way of offering security services; gentlemen's agreement.
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| podkhod |
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coronation of vor; literally approach.
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| posadit' na piku |
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to stab to death, cut up with a knife; literally to put on a spike.
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| prishit' |
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to kill; literally to sew up; to shoot dead.
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| prishli mne kapustu |
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what you say if someone owes you money (send me the cabbage).
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| razboiniki |
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warriors of gang.
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| razborka |
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settling of accounts/judgment, often violent.
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| sborschiki |
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collectors who pick up taxes from traders at markets.
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| sdelat kozyol |
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turn into a goat, or lower class, as in prison. Homo-sexual slave.
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| shalit |
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make mischief.
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| skhodka |
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criminal assembly/council of vory.
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| shpana |
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group of hoodlums.
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| sidet' |
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to be in prison; literally to sit.
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| stakan |
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'glass' measurement of drugs.
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| strelka |
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council or appointment; literally little arrow, after small hand on watch.
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| suki |
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turncoats, scabs, traitors,; literally bitches.
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| tat |
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thief.
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| telet chefir |
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prison expression for making strong tea. Also to have nothing left.
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| torpedo |
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contract killer.
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| tsekhovik/tsekhoviki |
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owner of black-market underground factories.
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| tusovka |
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slice, as in the slice of society occupied by golden youth and young mafiosi.
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| ubrat |
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to kill, waste; literally take out.
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| uryt |
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to kill; literally to bury.
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| vor |
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thief, lord of crime. Once generic term for thief or foreign enemy.
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| vor v zakonye |
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thief in law. Full name of leader of old Russian gang.
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| vorovskoe blago |
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criminal welfare. What every vor must defend.
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| vorovskoi mir |
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thieves world.
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| vzyat |
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to harass/rob; literally take, as in vzyat lariok (hit up a kiosk). Also means
in slang, to take bribes.
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| zamochit |
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to kill with a beating; literally to piss on.
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| zapodlo |
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shady business, underground commerce.
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~WizeGuy~
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