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Why is cop so called?

The term copper was the original word, used in Britain to mean "someone who captures". In British English, the term cop is recorded (Shorter Oxford Dictionary) in the sense of 'to capture' from 1704, derived from the Latin capere via the Old French caper.
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Why is the cop called the cop?

Trivia Answer: The term 'Cops' comes from the copper buttons that were used on most turn of the century police uniforms. 4,333 people like this. Since many police officers in the "early years" were of Irish and Scottish decent, many used the Gaelic word for protector or leader (ceap, pronounced cop) to describe them.
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What is cop short for?

informal. : police officer. They called the cops to report a robbery.
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What does cop mean in slang?

A cop is an informal term for a police officer. As a verb, cop is used in a variety of slang expressions meaning “grab” or “obtain,” from copping a feel on someone (not recommended) to copping out on going to a party (meaning “not going”) to copping to (meaning “confessing to”) eating the last slice of pizza.
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What do British people call cop?

Answer and Explanation: The British often call police officers 'bobbies. ' This comes from Sir Robert Peel, since the nickname for 'Robert' is 'Bobby.
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What is the Greek word that police is derived from?

The Greek word, however, for police is astynomia, a compound noun consisting of asty (the officialese word for city) and nomos (law).
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Is cop British or American?

Several sources say the usages originated in Northern England. The word "cop" is an old Anglo-Saxon verb for catch, grab or capture, deriving from a noun "cop" dating back at least to the 1100s. Some sources say this word related to the Dutch word kapen, with a similar meaning.
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How did cop become slang for police?

Cop became slang for “seizing” in the early 1700s. This verb may have given rise to copper, thieves' slang for “law enforcement” by the 1840s and shortened to cop by the 1850s. For much of its history, it was often seen as dismissive or derogatory, though most police officers are just fine with it in contemporary use.
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What does cop mean in Old English?

“The word “cop” is an old Anglo-Saxon verb for catch, grab or capture, deriving from a noun “cop” dating back at least to the 1100s. Some sources say this word related to the Dutch word kapen, with a similar meaning. The earliest written documentation of the form “cop” as a verb in English dates to 1704.
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Why are police called the fuzz?

What is the origin of "the fuzz" (meaning police)? It's just a jocular mispronunciation of "the force" - as in the police force, rather than "the force be with you".
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Why are police called 50?

Etymology. From the police procedural television series Hawaii Five-O (first aired in 1968), so named because it is set in Hawaii, which is the 50th U.S. state.
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Why are policemen called pigs?

A group calling themselves the “Yippies” protested outside the Chicago convention opposing the Vietnam War. The activists carried an actual pig named Pigasus as their presidential candidate, and later called officers “pigs” when told to disband the demonstration.
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What does cop stand for in COP27?

On 20 November, the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), that took place in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh, concluded with a historic decision to establish and operationalize a loss and damage fund.
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What is cop vs police?

Police is plural, cop is singular, but they mean the same thing-- except that cop is less polite. I think it originated in the United Kingdom from Constable On Patrol = COP = cop. In the USA it was altered to copper. You will hear that in old movies, but it is not used today.
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What was slang for cop in 1920s?

The fuzz, slang for the police, is from 1929, while cop a plea is from 1925.
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What is cop in English oxford?

/kɒp/ /kɑːp/ (informal)Idioms. ​a police officer. Somebody call the cops!
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Why are British police called bobbies?

A nickname for a British policeman is a bobby, after Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel, who founded Britain's Metropolitan Police Force in 1829, provoking complaints about the infringement of civil liberties. The first patrolmen wore a blue uniform (to distinguish them from the military who wore red) with a top hat.
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Why is 12 police?

Why Are The Police Called “12”? Police are called 12 as a slang term. According to sources, 12 comes from the police radio code “10-12,” which means that visitors are present in the area where police are going. It's similar to a warning to police that they might have company when they arrive on the scene.
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What was a cop called in 1930s slang?

copper - police officer (Look closely and you will notice that part of this word is still used to refer to a police officer. Instead of a "cop" in the 1930s a police officer was called a copper.)
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What does the word cop mean in Europe?

1. a police officer. 2. British. an arrest (esp in the phrase a fair cop)
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Do you say cops in UK?

The term copper was the original word, used in Britain to mean "someone who captures". In British English, the term cop is recorded (Shorter Oxford Dictionary) in the sense of 'to capture' from 1704, derived from the Latin capere via the Old French caper.
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Can an American be British police?

Applying to join the police

These vary between police forces, but in general you should: be aged 18 or over. be a British citizen, a European Union (EU) citizen with settled status, or a foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK without restrictions.
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What do Greeks call police?

The Hellenic Police (Greek: Ελληνική Αστυνομία, Ellinikí Astynomía, abbreviated ΕΛ. ΑΣ.) is the national police service and one of the three security forces of the Hellenic Republic. It is a large agency with responsibilities ranging from road traffic control to counter-terrorism.
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Is the word police Greek language?

The derivation of the word police from the Greek polis, meaning “city,” reflects the fact that protopolice were essentially creatures of the city, to the limited extent that they existed as a distinct body.
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