motorcycle cop
3
3.4
- noun
- /ˈmoʊtərˌsaɪkəl kɑp/
- Informal
:
policía motorizado
- As I rode my bike, I saw a motorcycle cop monitoring the vehicles on the highway.
Examples
-
A motorcycle cop picked us up as we crossed Canal Street, turned on his siren, and led us at breakneck speed through the evening traffic.
Fiction book (2001) -
I always wanted to be a motorcycle cop.
-
A motorcycle cop is chasing us.
-
He's a motorcycle cop now.
-
There's a motorcycle cop coming up behind us.
-
The motorcycle cop hands Marvin a ticket.
Fiction book (1991) -
In his rear-view mirror, Marvin sees a motorcycle cop approaching.
Fiction book (1991) -
The motorcycle cop pulled over the speeding car to enforce traffic laws.
-
The motorcycle cop quickly responded to the accident scene to direct traffic.
Synonyms
6
2.4
A police officer who directs cars and people at busy intersections
1
3.5
A person who rides a motorcycle to control traffic and stop drivers going too fast
1
4.2
A police officer who patrols roads to catch drivers going too fast
A female police officer who rides a motorcycle to patrol and stop drivers who break traffic rules
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally built: 'motorcycle' modifies 'cop' to specify a police officer who uses a motorcycle, so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituent words. This head-modifier pattern is common cross-linguistically and therefore a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the expression.
Etymology
Motorcycle cop comes from the simple image of a police cop riding a motorcycle to watch the roads. Because they can move quickly through traffic and stop speeding drivers, the phrase means 'a police officer who patrols on a motorcycle'.