fair cop
fair cop · fair cops
A justifiable or reasonable capture or apprehensionA justifiable or reasonable capture or apprehension; also, broadly, a just or inescapable accusation.
» It's a fair cop.
Meaning
1 sensesA justifiable or reasonable capture or apprehension; also, broadly, a just or inescapable accusation.
Examples
1 sentencesIt's a fair cop.
Origin
Compound of fair (“just, correct”) + cop (“capture, arrest”). Attested from the late 19thCompound 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”).
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