cop on

English

WOTD – 27 January 2013, 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 eejit 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 May 11, “Broadside at Croke Park”, in The Meath Chronicle:

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

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

     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, published 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, published 2011, →ISBN, page 124:

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

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

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

   • 2024 March 16, Antonia Cundy, “The Opus Dei diaries”, in FT Weekend, page 18:

     “Cop on, Anne Marie,” her parents said. “Time to be normal now.”

2. (Ireland, informal, UK, dialect) To come to understand; twig, cotton on.

Translations

to behave, grow up

• Dutch: zich gedragen
• Finnish: ryhdistäytyä (fi)
• Italian: crescere (it)
• Russian: повзросле́ть (ru) pf (povzroslétʹ), возмужа́ть (ru) pf (vozmužátʹ)
• Swedish: växa upp (sv), skärpa sig, skärpa till sig
• Ukrainian: подорослішати (podoroslišaty)

Anagrams

• OPCON, OpCon