fair cop
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.28 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A justifiable or reasonable capture or apprehension; also, broadly, a just or inescapable accusation.
Example Sentences
- "Several other witnesses gave corroborative evidence, and a constable who helped to arrest the prisoners stated that one of them, on being taken into custody, said: “Ah, well, this is a fair cop.”"
- "‘A fair cop,’ murmured Ladd feebly. ‘I give in, mister; it’s a fair cop.’"
- "hector. No, by thunder! It was not a fair cop. We were four to one."
- "Inspector: I shall have to ask you to accompany me to the station. Mr. Hilton: It’s a fair cop."
- "Okay, it’s a fair cop. Claire’s not a Bible scholar, and neither am I. It wasn’t Gideon, it was Jephthah (Judges 12)."
- "The chap opposite seems to be trying to pull a fast one, and having seen the guard is trying to buy a ticket online... but doesn't succeed. The guard helpfully sells him one, but not quite at the price of one purchased in advance. In fairness he doesn't kick off, nor does the guard treat him like some common criminal. It's a fair cop - or should that be a fare cop?"
Etymology
Compound of fair (“just, correct”) + cop (“capture, arrest”). Attested from the late 19th century. The cop portion is originally from Northern England and is perhaps from a regional pronunciation of the now obsolete verb cap (“to capture; to seize”). Compare Scots cap (“seize, take by force”), kep (“catch”).