How One Gets a Name Like Papa Smurf

Friday, 18 January 2013 | by Pat's Picks

Yesterday’s arrest of Carmine Franco—better known as “Papa Smurf”—inspired the New York Times to look at the bizarrely entertaining world of mob nicknames. Several experts weigh in on how names like “Vinny Carwash, Tony Bagels and Junior Lollipops” develop. Often, they’re holdovers from childhood before anyone knows they’ll grow up to be a boss.

SOURCE: New York Times