Submitted by PokeBattle_Fan t3_z6tdti in explainlikeimfive
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Comments
HintOfMalice t1_iy31vd0 wrote
In Ireland and the UK, we have Bobby or Peeler to mean a Policeman. They originate from the same thing, an Prime Minister, Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel (Peeler) who set up the first modern police force in the UK, about 200 years ago.
Thugalug t1_iy33feg wrote
Cop is short for Constable of Police, thats where its from
coredump3d t1_iy34rvj wrote
Are you sure? That sounds more like a backronym to me than an actual derivative streetword. From what i also heard, policemen used to wear copper badges or helmets (?) and the distinctive appear made them be called "cop" as a slang
kytheon t1_iy35mpz wrote
And while alerting your buddies, COP is a lot shorter than Police Officer.
activ8r t1_iy367cw wrote
Kind of. I believe "cop" came first. Cop is an old word for "capture" (see common usage "that's a fair cop"). I believe "copper" would be the nickname as they are the "capturer".
Not 100% on this being the actual origin, but a quick Google search seems to corroborate it.
Schnutzel t1_iy368pd wrote
All of these are incorrect, it comes from the verb "cop" which means "to seize/capture".
___Phreak___ t1_iy37tny wrote
This isn't a sub for guess work
piszkavas t1_iy38b1g wrote
Oh yes this is true, although copper alone is a nickname
Gyvon t1_iy3a8zw wrote
He wasn't a constable, he was Prime Minister
YessikZiiiq t1_iy3ay6f wrote
This is correct. The badge thing is a common myth.
dx-azrael-xb t1_iy3b1xt wrote
Five-O came from the Hawaii Five-O TV show where the Police Logo has 50 on it for Hawaii being the 50th state.
Agifem t1_iy3bi37 wrote
The word "flic" in French seems to come from the German word Flick, which means young man. Apparently, it would have crossed the border as a slang word to designate German criminals.
Another theory is that it comes from the German word "Fliege", which means fly (the animal), a word used several centuries earlier to designate snitches, and, by extension, the police they were snitching to.
pdpi t1_iy3eg8z wrote
To be pedantic, he was Home Secretary at the time. He wouldn't become PM for another five years.
jimintoronto t1_iy3gsk1 wrote
1834 actually. JimB.
Jormungandrs-bite t1_iy3ja57 wrote
Close. Copper buttons were worn on the jacket.
Frogman400 t1_iy3lnkm wrote
My father who was a cop told me that "Cop" stands for Constable on Patrol and comes from a time when cops would walk in pairs around the down town in old timey days.
OneVast4272 t1_iy3mg8u wrote
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_police-related_slang_terms
Here’s a detailed summary of all the usual nicknames for the police, across cultures
[deleted] t1_iy3qlhz wrote
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readit2U t1_iy3r9cv wrote
I had heard it was short for an English phrase "constable on patrol "
[deleted] t1_iy3vt0z wrote
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KevinNeedsToTalk t1_iy400d7 wrote
Definitely a backronym and not the actual origin.
[deleted] t1_iy401wd wrote
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Flair_Helper t1_iy41p3w wrote
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wzl46 t1_iy315rl wrote
Cop is a shortened version of copper. I read a long time ago that police had copper badges, so that is where the name originated. It could be completely wrong.