Thug

A cool synonym for a violent criminal, popular among non-thugs. The word itself has a much cooler history, and it comes from Hindi "thag", literally meaning "swindler" or "deceiver", and it was used by the British to denote a disorganized group of Indians who worshipped goddess Kali - a violent and most powerful avatar of Shakti who defends the innocent through military prowess and brutality. They committed brutal murders, silent assassinations and theft in her name, mostly against the British. In fairness, many historians question the validity of the British account of thugs, since they might have blown their threat out of proportion just to solidify "Britain strong" image among royal subjects, when in fact they were nothing out of the ordinary.