cop on

cop on

English

WOTD – 27 January 2013

WOTD – 27 January 2015

Alternative forms

• cop-on (noun only)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kɒp ɒn/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

cop on

1. (Ireland, informal, idiomatic) Common sense.

   That idiot has no cop on.

   • 2008, Joseph Dolan, "Hazards caused by pedestrians" (letter to the editor), Irish Independent, 22 November 2008:

     While she is right that some cyclists do cycle in a dangerous manner, pedestrians need to have some "cop on" as well.

   • 2011, "Broadside at Croke Park", The Meath Chronicle, 11 May 2011:

     Fixtures' secretary Jimmy Henry refuted the comments. "I wouldn't have got this job if I hadn't some cop on," he said.

   • 2012, Martina Nee, "Student with no ‘cop on’ fined for using his scientific brilliance for cannabis growing", Galway Advertiser, 29 March 2012:

     Molloy’s solicitor said that there was a^[sic] element of naivety here in that his client, who is “quite brilliant” in his studies in physics, has “no cop on” and took a “scientist’s approach” to growing cannabis.

Verb

cop on (third-person singular simple present cops on, present participle copping on, simple past and past participle copped on)

1. (Ireland, informal, idiomatic) to stop behaving immaturely; behave, grow up.

   You'll get in trouble with the boss if you don't cop on.

   • 2006, Johnny Fallon, Party Time: Growing Up in Politics, Mercier Press (2006), →ISBN, page 110:

     Drink, drink and more drink. Ulster Bank, College Green, was filled with sore heads for the entire month of the world cup. I knew it was time to start copping on when my housemate, O'Dea, who was a much harder drinker than I ever was, said to me, 'Jaysus, I was fierce worried about you during the World Cup, you were on the lash every fuckin' night, fallin' home in some state.'

   • 2011, Donnacha O'Callaghan, Joking Apart: My Autobiography, Transworld Ireland (2011), →ISBN, page 124:

     After a while, though, we matured and copped on.

   • 2011, Daniel McConnell, "Tough rehab, yes -- but mind you don't end up killing the patient", Irish Independent, 23 October 2011:

     The inference was clear. You Irish were all very naughty and it's time you copped on and grew up.

2. (Ireland, informal, Britain, dialectal) to come to understand; twig, cotton on

Translations

to behave, grow up

Dutch: zich gedragen Finnish: ryhdistäytyä (fi) Italian: crescere (it), comportarsi da adulto

Russian: повзросле́ть (ru) pf (povzroslétʹ), возмужа́ть (ru) pf (vozmužátʹ) Swedish: växa upp, skärpa sig, skärpa till sig Ukrainian: подорослішати (podoroslišaty)

Anagrams

• OPCON, OpCon