to cop yourself on - Glite Dictionary

Examples

You need to cop yourself on if you want to keep this job.
After failing his exams, Mark finally decided to cop himself on and focus on studying.
After failing his exams, Mark finally decided to cop himself on.
You need to cop yourself on!
Why don't you cop yourself on and stop complaining?
It's time to cop yourself on and make some real changes in your life if you want to succeed.
You need to cop yourself on if you want to keep this job and not get fired.

Synonyms

to get one's act together

vsto cop yourself on

Informal

32 4.6

To organize yourself and behave better to reach a goal

focuses more on becoming sensible and responsible than on goal planning

to get on the stick

vsto cop yourself on

Informal

1 9.7

To start working hard without delay

stresses changing to responsible sensible behaviour rather than just starting work

to cop oneself on

vsto cop yourself on

Irish

9.9

To realize you made a mistake and begin to act more sensibly

has identical meaning but uses a slightly different reflexive phrasing

to buck up your ideas

vsto cop yourself on

UK

9.2

Try harder and make your work and attitude better

emphasizes sensible responsibility rather than merely increasing effort

Antonyms

to neglect

256 3.8

Fail to care for someone or something you should look after

How Sensible

to get one's act together

Informal

32 4.6

to shape up

Informal

11 4.0

to cop yourself on

Irish

9.9

to wise up

Informal

16 7.1

to realize

US

∞ 1.1

Surface Forms

cop yourself on infinitive

copped yourself on past

copped yourself on past participle

copping yourself on present participle

cops yourself on third person singular

Morphology

cop + yourself + on

This is a regional, informal idiom whose sense 'get your act together / behave sensibly' does not follow transparently from the parts: 'cop' is ambiguous (police, seize, etc.) and 'on' and 'yourself' do not compositionally yield the target meaning. A B1 learner who knows the literal meanings of the constituents would be unlikely to infer this idiomatic sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Cop yourself on may come from the image of someone grabbing ('cop') their own shoulders to steady themselves and become 'on' — alert and ready. So, cop yourself on means 'to start behaving in a more responsible or sensible way'.