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Glite Dictionary
copper's nark

copper's nark

9.9
A person who secretly tells the police about crimes
  • noun
  • /ˈkɒpəz nɑːk/
  • Slang
translation icon : informante
  • The thief suspected there was a copper's nark among his friends, so he kept his plans secret.

Examples

  • The gang was wary of a copper's nark infiltrating their organization.

  • Don't trust him; he's a copper's nark!

  • Back in Victorian London, being called a copper's nark was a serious accusation on the streets.

  • The gang suspected that there was a copper's nark among them.

  • The gang was wary of a copper's nark infiltrating their organization.

  • Back in Victorian London, being called a copper's nark was a serious accusation on the streets.

  • The thief suspected there was a copper's nark among his friends, so he kept his plans secret.

Synonyms

narc
vscopper's nark
  • Offensive
33 9.9

A person who secretly tells the police about illegal drug activity

is a general informer or spy not limited to drug cases
fink
vscopper's nark
  • Offensive
18 9.2

A person who gives information about others to the police, betraying them

is a neutral informer role without implied betrayal
canary
vscopper's nark
  • Archaic
3 9.9

A person who gives the police secret information about criminals

is a regular informer or spy rather than serving as a decoy
nark
vscopper's nark
  • Slang
1 9.9

A person who secretly tells the police about crimes

has identical meaning but is expressed as the main term here
nar
vscopper's nark
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who tells the police about others' illegal drug acts

is broader, applying to any informer or spy for police

Surface Forms

copper's nark singular
copper's narks plural

Morphology

copper's + nark

The phrase is compositional: 'copper's' (copper = police) plus the possessive indicates belonging/association, and 'nark' = informer. A B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer 'an informer working for the police' from this structure, so the meaning is transparently derived.

Etymology

Copper's nark may come from two slang words: copper ('a police officer') and nark ('a secret informer'). The image to remember is someone placed inside a gang who quietly tells the copper what they do, so the phrase means 'an informer working for the police'.