What does Mook mean in New York? Robert De Niro clashes with protesters outside Trump trial

Robert De Niro verbally clashed with protesters outside a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday. He was exiting a press conference that Biden’s campaign instructed to be held to discuss the January 6 Capitol riot. During the heated exchange, one of the protesters in a MAGA hat called De Niro a “mook”. He called out to the actor and shouted:

“You are a c*nt! You are a c*nt! Bobby De Niro, you’re a fucking c*nt! F*** you you f***ing piece of sh*t! He’s a mook! M-O-O-K, a mook! Robert De Niro’s a f***ing mook! A traitor!”

According to Merriam-Webster, the word 'mook' is categorized as a slang term that refers to a "foolish, insignificant, or contemptible person". The protester, Dion Cini also explained the meaning of the term in a video he later posted on X. Cini said:

“Nobody’s ever heard the word Mook? So, in Philly, where I’m from originally, you call somebody a mook, you need to pull out a gun, or an axe, and you start f***ing shoot, because it’s like, it’s the worst thing you could possibly call a person like, if you call somebody, their mother a mook, your whole family is f*cking dead. So, mook means…I believe it’s idioto or idiot. It means insignificant person.”

Dion Cini then addressed Robert De Niro and said:

“I challenge Bobby de Niro, you f***ing c*nt…I know you said you wanted to punch Trump in the face. But you’re more to welcome anywhere, anytime, you wanna punch me in the face you f***ing, you f***ing mook. Give me your best shot.”

He called him a "mook" yet again, and concluded:

“You’re a traitor to the American people, you f***ing mook.”

---

Use of the term 'Mook' in Robert De Niro's 1973 film Mean Streets

Robert De Niro played Johnny Boy in the 1973 film Mean Streets directed by Martin Scorsese. During a poolroom argument in the movie, George Memmoli, who played Joey 'Clams' Scala pointed at Johnny's friend Jimmy, played by Lenny Scaletta, and said:

"We're not paying because this guy, this guy is a f***ing mook."

Jimmy responded:

"But I didn't say nothing."

Joey emphasized:

"We don't pay mooks."

Jimmy, who looked confused, exclaimed:

"Mook! I'm a mook! What's a mook?"

Robert De Niro's Johnny Boy and the rest also wondered about the meaning of mook. Jimmy then told Joey he should not call him a mook. Joey punched him after a few seconds, causing a fight to break out.

Many fans were not acquainted with this term either, leading them to believe Martin Scorsese might have coined the word 'mook' and incorporated it in the movie.

However, the filmmaker did not make it up. Rather, 'mook' has been around for about 90 years. This is what the Oxford English Dictionary says about 'mook':

“The term was undoubtedly popularized both in the United States and elsewhere by its use in the film Mean Streets (1973), directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese. The fact that, in the context of the script, the word is unfamiliar to most of the protagonists has led viewers to believe (wrongly) that the word was coined there.”

The OED defined it as:

"An incompetent or stupid person; a contemptible person (esp. with reference to low social status).”

The Oxford Dictionary further categorized 'mook' as a derogatory term colloquially used in American and Caribbean English.