fair cop

Compound of fair (“just, correct”) +‎ cop (“capture, arrest”). Attested from the late 19th century.^[1] 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”).^[2] Compare Scots cap (“seize, take by force”), kep (“catch”).

fair cop (plural fair cops)

1. A justifiable or reasonable capture or apprehension; also, broadly, a just or inescapable accusation.
   • 1891, Montagu Stephen Williams, Later Leaves: Being the Further Reminiscences of Montagu Williams, Q. C., Macmillan and Co.:

     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.”

   • 1900, William Pett Ridge, A Breaker of Laws, Harper & Brothers:

     ‘A fair cop,’ murmured Ladd feebly. ‘I give in, mister; it’s a fair cop.’

   • 1919, George Bernard Shaw, Heartbreak House, Great Catherine, and Playlets of the War, Brentano's:

     hector. No, by thunder! It was not a fair cop. We were four to one.

   • 1969 November 23, “Crunchy Frog”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus, season 1, episode 6:

     Inspector: I shall have to ask you to accompany me to the station.
     Mr. Hilton: It’s a fair cop.

   • 1999, Diana Gabaldon, The Outlandish Companion, Delacorte Press:

     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).

   • 2024 April 17, “Rural railways: do they deliver?”, in RAIL, number 1007, page 57:

     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?

• bang to rights