Dictionary

wet one's beak

Verb

(idiomatic) To drink a beverage.
- 1876, "The Charlemagne Romances: Part 4—Pulci," The Monthly Packet of Evening Readings, vol. 22, p. 467 (Google preview) ↗:
  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 9780007202683, [https://www.google.ca/search?q=%22kettle+on+so+we+can+wet+our+beaks%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr#bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&ei=na4NUsGYH8Kz2gWi_4DACw&fp=c6317159033f79c&gws_rd=cr&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=%22kettle+on+so+we+can+wet+our+beaks%22&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&sa=N&tab=wp&tbm=bks&um=1 p. 168 (Google preview)]:
  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 9781429984430, [https://www.google.ca/search?q=%22VIP+and+wet+our+beaks%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&gws_rd=cr p. 248 (Google preview)]:
  “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.
(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 9780345480712, 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 ↗," 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 9781451668674, p. 356 (Google preview) ↗:
  "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 action

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