speed cop
1
4.2
- noun
- /spiːd kɒp/
- US
:
policía de tránsito
- After getting a ticket from the speed cop, he vowed to obey the speed limits in the future.
Examples
-
The speed cop signaled for the driver to pull over after clocking him above the speed limit.
-
Local speed cops have increased patrols on the highway during the holiday weekend.
-
She slowed down immediately when she spotted a speed cop ahead on his motorcycle.
-
The speed cop caught me going too fast.
-
There are many speed cops on the highway.
-
The speed cop pulled over the driver for exceeding the speed limit on the highway.
-
When driving through the town, I saw a speed cop monitoring traffic with a radar gun.
Synonyms
∞
6.3
A person who works for the police
560
1.1
A person who keeps people safe and stops crime
303
1.0
A man whose job is to keep people safe and enforce laws
112
4.1
A police officer who rides a horse to watch streets and crowds
6
2.4
A police officer who directs cars and people at busy intersections
4
3.6
A person who checks an area regularly to keep it safe
3
3.4
A police officer who rides a motorcycle and enforces traffic laws
1
3.5
A person who rides a motorcycle to control traffic and stop drivers going too fast
A female police officer who rides a motorcycle to patrol and stop drivers who break traffic rules
How Strict
Surface Forms
Morphology
This noun-noun compound is a straightforward compositional construction: 'speed' modifies 'cop' to indicate a police officer concerned with speed enforcement. A B1 learner who knows 'speed' (how fast something moves) and 'cop' (police officer) can readily infer that a 'speed cop' is a police officer who monitors or enforces speed limits, so the expression is transparent.
Etymology
Speed cop comes from a simple picture: a police cop watching for cars going too fast (speed). So, it means 'a police officer who stops drivers for driving too fast'.