le
masculine
/flik/
#481 of 5,000 Core 1000
Translation
cop (slang)
Word origin
Plural of flic, a 19th-century slang term for a policeman of uncertain origin. It is most often linked to the German Fliege ('fly') used in old criminal argot for a police informer, possibly via Yiddish; the connection remains debated.
- Origin
- uncertain
Other proposed origins
- Often derived from German Fliege ('fly'), a slang term for a police spy, perhaps through Yiddish. (Fliege)
- Some accounts treat it as a purely French argot coinage of obscure formation.
Grammar
Gendermasculine
Pluralflics
Examples
.
The cops arrived at six in the morning.
.
His brother has been a cop for ten years.
, !
Watch out, here come the cops!
fouille .
The cops searched the car for an hour.
civil ' .
A plain-clothes cop asked for my ID.
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