Gangster Nicknames: The Origins

Have you ever wondered how mob guys get those colourful nicknames like "the Nose" or "the Hat" or have you always figured that, though the occassional one might have a story behind it, most are pretty obvious? Well an article in the NY Post, How Mobster Nicnames Get 'Made' shows that those in the latter camp were pretty much on the money. It took four writers to find a handful of "funniest" including:

"Tommy Sneakers." He "likes sneakers"
"Bobby the Jew." He's not Jewish. But he "looks like a Jew"

The rest are equally "funny".