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pègre

underworld

noun PEH-gruh Rare
People & Society Crime

Also means

criminal milieu

Usage Note

Pègre designates the organised criminal underworld collectively — gangs, racketeers, and the milieu they inhabit. It is literary and journalistic rather than everyday slang. The word is always singular and used with a definite article: la pègre. In contemporary usage, milieu (m) or crime organisé are close equivalents.

Examples

"Il avait des liens avec la pègre locale."

Natural Translation

He had ties to the local underworld.

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