Thug

A thug is basically a bully who engages in moderate, yet regular criminal enterprises. They are similar to henchmen in that they are usually brutish, with a limited vocabulary and an even more limited skill set. Many common criminals such as muggers, bank robbers, and mob enforcers may be construed as thugs. Thugs rarely use strategy or advanced planning to achieve their goals and usually resort to direct violence, sometimes with a weapon such as a handgun or a knife.

The term actually originates with the Thugee cult of northern central India, which, as you may remember, were the psychotic heart-ripping nut-jobs that gave Indiana Jones such a hard time in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Historically, the cult takes its name from Buhram Jemedar, also known as Thug Behram - the self-styled King of the Thugs.