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cop a plea

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cop

1  [kop]
Use cop a plea in a Sentence
–verb (used with object), copped, cop⋅ping. Informal.
1. to catch; nab.
2. to steal; filch.
3. to buy (narcotics).
—Verb phrase
4. cop out,
a. to avoid one's responsibility, the fulfillment of a promise, etc.; renege; back out (often fol. by on or of): He never copped out on a friend in need. You agreed to go, and you can't cop out now.
b. cop a plea.
—Idiom
5. cop a plea,
a. to plead guilty or confess in return for receiving a lighter sentence.
b. to plead guilty to a lesser charge as a means of bargaining one's way out of standing trial for a more serious charge; plea-bargain.
Origin:
1695–1705; cf. cap (obs.) to arrest, Scots cap to seize ≪ dial. OF caper to take, ult. < L capere
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plea

  [plee]
–noun
1. an appeal or entreaty: a plea for mercy.
2. something that is alleged, urged, or pleaded in defense or justification.
3. an excuse; pretext: He begged off on the plea that his car wasn't working.
4. Law.
a. an allegation made by, or on behalf of, a party to a legal suit, in support of his or her claim or defense.
b. a defendant's answer to a legal declaration or charge.
c. (in courts of equity) a plea that admits the truth of the declaration, but alleges special or new matter in avoidance.
d. Obsolete. a suit or action.
—Idiom
5. cop a plea, Slang. cop 1 (def. 5b).
Origin:
1175–1225; ME ple, earlier plaid < OF < early ML placitum law-court, suit, decision, decree, L: opinion (lit., that which is pleasing or agreeable), n. use of neut. of ptp. of placēre to please

Synonyms:
1. request, petition, supplication, solicitation, suit. 3. justification.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cop a plea
cop 2   (kŏp)   
tr.v.   copped, cop·ping, cops

  1. To take unlawfully or without permission; steal. See Synonyms at steal.

    1. To get hold of; gain or win: a show that copped four awards; copped a ticket to the game.

    2. To take or catch: "copped a quick look at the gentleman in a caramel cashmere sport coat on the right" (Gail Sheehy).

Phrasal Verb(s):
cop outTo avoid fulfilling a commitment or responsibility; renege: copped out on my friends; copped out by ducking the issue.

Idiom(s):
cop a pleaTo plead guilty to a lesser charge so as to avoid standing trial for a more serious charge.

[Probably variant of cap, to catch, from Old French caper, from Latin capere; see capture.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
cop

  1. tv.
    to take or steal something. (Originally underworld.) : Somebody copped the statue from the town square.
  2. n.
    a theft. (Underworld.) : They pulled the cop in broad daylight.
  3. n.
    a police officer. (From sense 1.) : The cop wasn't in any mood to put up with any monkey business.
  4. tv.
    to arrest someone. (See also copped.) : They copped Sam with the evidence right on him.
  5. n.
    an arrest. : It was a smooth cop. No muss, no fuss.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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cop a plea

  1. tv.
    to plead guilty to a lesser charge. : Rocko copped a plea and got off with a week in the slammer.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

plea 
c.1215, "lawsuit," from Anglo-Fr. plai (c.1170), O.Fr. plait "lawsuit, decision, decree" (842), from M.L. placitum "lawsuit," in classical L., "opinion, decree," lit. "that which pleases, thing which is agreed upon," properly neut. pp. of placere (see please). Sense development seems to be from "something pleasant," to "something that pleases both sides," to "something that has been decided." Meaning "a pleading, an agreement in a suit" is attested from c.1381. Plea bargaining is first attested 1963. Common pleas (c.1215) originally were legal proceedings over which the Crown did not claim exclusive jurisdiction (as distinct from pleas of the Crown); later "actions brought by one subject against another."

cop  (v.)
1704, northern British dialect, "seize," perhaps from M.Fr. caper "seize, to take," from L. capere "to take" (see capable); or from Du. kapen "to take," from O.Fris. capia "to buy." Cop out (v.) and cop-out (n.) are Amer.Eng., first recorded 1942, probably from cop a plea (c.1925) "plead guilty to lesser charges."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

COP

See certificate of participation.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: plea
Pronunciation: 'plE
Function: noun
Etymology: Anglo-French plei plai legal action, trial, from Old French plait plaid, from Medieval Latin placitum, from Latin, decision, decree, from neuter of placitus, past participle of placEre to please, be decided
1 a : an allegation of fact in civil litigation made in response to a claim —compare DEMURRER b : a defendant's answer to a plaintiff's claim in civil litigation
NOTE: Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and in states where they have been adopted, civil pleas are abolished, and answers and motions are used instead. Such pleas were used at common law.
dil·a·to·ry plea
/'di-l&-"tOr-E-/
: a common-law plea which is intended to defeat the pending action or proceeding without involving any decision on the merits of the case
plea in abatement
: a plea entered by a party seeking postponement or dismissal of an action by setting forth some matter or defect regarding procedure, jurisdiction, or timing called also plea of abatement
plea in bar
: a plea that alleges the existence of an absolute bar (as a statute of limitations) to an action
plea of abatement
: PLEA IN ABATEMENT in this entry
2 a : an accused party's answer to a criminal charge or indictment b : a plea of guilty
3 : an earnest entreaty
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

cop a plea

  1. Plead guilty or confess to a crime in exchange for a lighter sentence; also, plead guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for not being tried for a more serious charge. For example, Arnold decided he was better off copping a plea than facing a jury. [Colloquial; 1920s]

  2. Plead for mercy; make excuses. For example, He copped a plea about not knowing his way around. [Slang; c. 1940]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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