wet one's beak

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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Verb

wet one's beak (third-person singular simple present wets one's beak, present participle wetting one's beak, simple past and past participle wet one's beak or wetted one's beak)

1. (idiomatic) To drink a beverage.
   • 1876, “The Charlemagne Romances: Part 4—Pulci,”, in The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings, volume 22, page 467:

     Rinaldo . . . is represented as a gluttonous feeder, and rather disposed to quarrel over his meat; liking also to ‘wet his beak’ in generous liquor.

   • 2005, John Lynch, Tom Water, →ISBN, page 168:

     Then, very softly, she says, "I'll stick the kettle on so we can wet our beaks."

   • 2011, K'wan Foye, Eviction Notice: A Hood Rat Novel, →ISBN, page 248:

     “Yo, it's gonna be a few minutes before the acts go on so let's hit the VIP and wet our beaks a li'l bit,” Gotti screamed in Tone's ear over the music.

2. (idiomatic, gangster slang) To take one's share from the financial proceeds of illicit activity.
   • 1996, Mario Puzo, The Last Don (2004 Random House edition), →ISBN, p. 5 (Google preview):

     "Giorgio," the Don said, ". . . our Family will now serve only as financial advisors to all the other Families. . . . [W]e must protect everyone's money, for which they will let us wet our beaks."

   • 2009 August 30, William K. Rashbaum, “Concern Is High That the Mob May Seek a Cut of the Stimulus Pie”, in New York Times, retrieved 15 August 2013:

     [I]nvestigators who track organized crime believe that some members have geared up to take advantage of the swift and enormous cash influx . . . looking, as the old Sicilian expression goes, to wet their beaks.

   • 2012, Nick Taylor, Sins of the Father: The True Story of a Family Running from the Mob, →ISBN, page 356:

     "See, the thing about the mob, everybody had to wet his beak. . . . I was supposed to give them a piece of my hard work."

Synonyms

• (drink a beverage): wet one's whistle
• (take one's share from illicit financial activity): get a piece of the pie, get a piece of the action