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Glite Dictionary
contempt of cop

contempt of cop

1 9.9
Rude or defiant actions toward a police officer that can cause arrest
  • noun
  • /kənˈtɛmpt əv kɑp/
  • Slang
translation icon : desacato a la policía
  • His mocking tone while speaking to the officer was a clear display of contempt of cop.

Examples

  • They are special ones, and no second-class citizen should ever get the idea that he or she can get away with contempt of cop, acting all uppity and whatnot.

    Blog text (32)

  • To most police officers, the greatest offense amounts to behavior expressing a "contempt of cop," and will be dealt with firmly.

    Blog text (10)

  • Showing blatant insolence toward the police officer resulted in charges of contempt of cop.

  • The judge ruled that the defendant's aggressive behavior during the arrest constituted contempt of cop.

Synonyms

disrespect
vscontempt of cop
133 3.4

Rude behavior or words that show a lack of respect for someone

is a defiant act toward a law enforcer that invites punishment
contempt
vscontempt of cop
  • Formal
80 6.8

Deliberate refusal to obey a court's orders that can be punished by law

is more specific targeting a single law enforcer and provoking punishment

Antonyms

respect
∞ 1.0

A feeling of admiration for someone because they are good or successful

compliance
171 5.0

Obeying rules or orders from people in charge

Surface Forms

contempt of cop singular
contempts of cop plural

Morphology

contempt + of + cop

The phrase is a straightforward composition of 'contempt' (scorn) + 'of' (indicating relation) + 'cop' (police officer), so a learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer it means showing scorn toward a police officer. While the term can carry a specific colloquial/legal nuance about provoking a punitive response, that pragmatic detail does not prevent basic comprehension from the parts.

Etymology

Contempt of cop comes from putting contempt (showing strong disrespect) together with cop to name when an officer feels insulted. One popular story says police used the phrase for rude or refusing-to-obey behavior that led them to punish or arrest someone, so it now means 'disrespecting a police officer' and often causes trouble with police.