@loupepper I think “cop” was probably earlier as in grab or catch, “your’re going to cop it when Dad get’s home” and we turned it into the nouns “cop” and expanded it to “copper” and the US never used the expanded version of the noun.
Thanks to @johnshuttlewrth for a great show in Hastings tonight. In my rush to have some late night toast because of my early tea I inadvertently opened a second tub of olive based spread (this is Sussex), oof!