Zips (also Siggies or Geeps) is a slang term often use as a derogatory slur by Italian American mobsters in reference to immigrant Sicilian and Italian mafiosi. The name is said to have originated from mobsters' inability to understand the faster-speaking Sicilian dialects, which appeared to "zip" by. Other theories include pejorative uses such as Sicilians' appetite for ziti or their preference for silent, homemade zip guns. Ironically, the older Sicilian mafiosi of pre-Prohibition known as "Mustache Petes" (who eventually were deposed by American-born mobsters during the Castellammarese War) were also referred to as "zips".