Does anyone know the origin of this phrase? Presumably it is a Sicilian message for killing someone as is shown in the film, but anyone know where Puzo got the idea from? Any specific examples of its use?
It was used for anyone who got whacked and then dumped overboard in the ocean to hide the body. Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn was a dumping ground for some real-life wiseguys who crossed somebody. One of the Gallo Bros. crew was dumped there and his shirt was delivered to the gang with a fish inside of it (around 1961).
Exactly right SC. Great example my friend!
As a matter of fact it was Joseph "Joe Jelly" Gioelli, a member of the Gallo crew, who was taken out on a fishing boat, shot, dismembered and dumped in the water. His clothes were removed before being dumped, stuffed with dead fish and then thrown in front of an auto repair shop which was known to have been frequented by the Gallo crew. Hence "Joe Jelly sleeps with the fishes."
