FEATURES:
- From the Napulitano (Neapolitan) word cumpare
- Alternate spellings: gumbah, cumpà, goomba
- Original meaning: “godfather”
- New York City mayor Bill de Blasio: not a goombah
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contributor
contributor
Kristen Martin is a cultural critic based in Philadelphia. Her debut narrative nonfiction book, The Sun Won’t Come Out Tomorrow, will be published by Bold Type Books in 2025. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, NPR, The Atlantic, The New Republic, and other publications.
