wet one's beak

present singular third person wets one's beak · participle present wetting one's beak · participle past wetted one's beak · past wetted one's beak

1. idiomaticTo drink a beverage.

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

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

   2 more examples

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

   1876, “The Charlemagne Romances: Part 4—Pulci,”, in The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings, volume 22, page 467

   “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.

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

   Synonyms: wet one's whistle

2. idiomaticgangster slangTo take one's share from the financial proceeds of illicit activity.

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

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

   2 more examples

   "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."

   1996, Mario Puzo, The Last Don (2004 Random House edition), p. 5 (Google preview)

   [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.

   2009 August 30, William K. Rashbaum, “Concern Is High That the Mob May Seek a Cut of the Stimulus Pie”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2021, retrieved 15 Aug 2013

   Synonyms: get a piece of the pie, get a piece of the action