Neil: Hello, this is Real English from BBC Learning English. I’m Neil.

Helen: And I’m Helen. Hello!

Neil: In Real English we look at words and phrases that you might not find in your dictionary.

Helen: 英语是一种有着丰富表达方式的语言，所以要想学习地道纯正的英国英语，了解英国人常用的通俗语言也是非常重要的。

Neil: Today’s word is cop – C.O.P. cop.

Helen: Cop 这个词是什么意思呢 Neil?

Neil: Well cop is another word for a police officer.

Helen: OK，就是说 cop 就是警察的意思。

Neil: It was originally an American English word but we use it a lot in Britain now.

Helen: 那我们该怎么使用这个词才合适呢？

Neil: Well it’s fairly informal so we can use it any time we talk about the police in an informal situation.

Helen: 所以 cop 这个词就是对警察的一种非正式的称呼。

Neil: And it’s often used in the plural – the cops.

Helen: 是的，这个词经常以复数的形式出现，所以大家可能更常听到的是 cops 而不是 cop. Here’s an example.

Example

A: Look! Someone is breaking into the neighbour’s house.

B: I think we should call the cops!

Helen: 是啊，如果有人闯进了你邻居的房子，你可就得叫警察了！Here’s another example.

Example

A: Don’t drive so fast – the cops are just behind us.

Helen: 如果警察就在你的后面，你再超速驾驶就比较不明智了。

Neil: You might also hear the expression cop car.

Helen: 就是警车 cop car.

Neil: Another informal expression is cop shop.

Helen: Cop shop 就是警察局的意思。不过这是一种非常通俗的叫法，所以请大家使用的时候注意场合。好了，我们今天的新词 cop 就学到这里了。大家都记住了吗？Cop 就是对警察的一种通俗称呼。

Neil: That’s all for today. Join us again soon for more Real English from BBC Learning English. Bye for now.

Helen: Bye!