RWO: Oh, those Chicago Boys

Adam writes:

During our travels around South Africa we came across a funny colloquialism used frequently in northern Africa. Whenever I would tell an African that I was from near Chicago they would always ask if I was a “Chee-ka-go boy” and laugh. Apparently “Chicago Boy” is a colloquialism referring to a really clever and dangerous gangster or “tsotsi”. When we asked why Chicago, they told us it was because we had the worst gangsters there. We finally figured out that they were referring to the days of Al Capone and they are convinced that Chicago is still the most dangerous city in the States.