cop out, v.¹ — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

cop out v.¹

1. to get into trouble.

1895		H. Lawson ‘The Master’s Mistake’ in Roderick (1972) 251: I don’t want to cop out on it tonight — if I do I’ll run away from home again.
1906		E. Dyson Fact’ry ’Ands 18: Copped out that trip, didn’t yeh?
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 263: Another reason why burgling ain’t exactly dinner for tea is that he’s bound to cop out at the finish – get lagged, I mean.
1916		T. Burke Limehouse Nights 145: She should very terribly cop out if she failed in that charge.
1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 29: If he were to get lifted he would cop out, being under the Act and all. It was a serious offence to be in possession of housebreaking implements by night.

2. (orig. UK Und.) to arrest.

1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 14: The majority of those that he had mentioned were ‘copped out’.
1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 442: Cop out, To arrest.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 55: Cop Out. – To arrest, to haul a criminal from his hiding place or out of a crowd.
1938		J. Curtis They Drive by Night 26: Copped out twice last week for obstruction. [Ibid.] 71: He ought to cop out for five or seven stretch for this little job.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

3. (orig. US, also cop out on) to obtain, to take for oneself.

1896		Ade Artie (1963) 4: I wish somebody ’d tell me how they cop ’em out.
1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 142: All us blokes had to get out just ’cause we was known, and the outside talent that the Front Office wasn’t next to railroaded to town and copped out the coin.
1908		E.S. Sorenson Quinton’s Rouseabout and other Stories 134: ‘I suppose he’s at liberty to go where he pleases.’ ‘I s’pose he is. But he ain’t at liberty to cop out on my tomahawk an’ terbacca. You sent him ter pump the blacks.’.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘Compliments of the Season’ in Strictly Business (1915) 199: Where did you cop out dat doll?
1917		R. Lardner ‘Three Kings and a Pair’ in Gullible’s Travels 63: If Bishop’s friends sees him with Bessie they’ll say: ’My! he’s copped out a bigleaguer.’.
1956		H. Gold Man Who Was Not With It (1965) 198: We love each other. We’ll cop out together.

4. (US) to steal.

1908

in ‘O. Henry’ ‘Little Speck in Garnered Fruit‘ in Works 1271: I’ll step down and cop one out for you, see.

5. (US campus) to fail a test or examination.

1967–8

Baker et al. CUSS.

6. to accept, to understand.

1968

L. Wolf Voices from the Love Generation 7: You become lovely and loving and full of love when you cop out to who you are, and what you are.