Gangsta Law

Hon's dad quite often owns up to (i.e. brags about) his shady past during dinner time conversation.  There are definitely a few stories that have come out leaving me aghast and equally amused.  Usually they end in him jabbing himself in the chest and saying "Gangsta law."  It's easy to laugh at these stories though, now that he's no longer living this lifestyle.  And there's this glint in his eyes that assures me that he's still up for mischief most days.

My favorite story came out when my parents were over.  We were talking about the ivory chopsticks they (we) use every meal.  Ironically the illegality of these chopsticks is not because they are made of ivory; They were bought long before ivory was banned.  It turns out that Hon's dad procured elephant tusks years and years ago for a friend who was a chopstick maker by trade but had no supply.  The chopsticks we eat with are a token of gratitude from this man who is now rich--or so his dad says.  The details of the tusk acquisition were not made clear (though Mom and I definitely enjoyed imagining how someone could conceal pilfered tusks), but the implications were beyond nefarious.

I bring all this up because I realized that his dad might actually be saying " 'Gainst the law."  It doesn't really matter, because, as second language learner, he might not actually know that these are two different phrases.  But I can't help but be a little disappointed: The stories lose some of their hilarity now that he might not be a self-professed "gangsta."