Grasshopper

Grasshopper (noun / Cockney rhyming slang)

(Also heard as: Grasshoppers, Hoppers)

Definition: The police, or an individual copper.

Pronunciation: /ˈɡrɑːsˌhɒp.ə/

Where It Comes From: Basic East End rhyming: grasshopper rhymes with copper. Criminals and market traders used it to give a quick nod to each other when police walked past without tipping off the officer. It’s also tied to the origin of calling an informant a “grass”—a mix of grasshopper (copper) and “grass in the park” (nark).

How People Actually Use It: You mostly hear this from older Londoners and Essex locals. It’s what someone mutters under their breath when a squad car rolls down the high street or when reminding a mate not to do anything stupid while the law is watching.

Examples in the Wild:

• “Watch your speed, grasshoppers sitting at the roundabout.”

  Translation: “Slow down, there’s a police car waiting ahead.”

• “He ended up in the cells after the hoppers pulled him over.”

  Translation: “The police arrested him during a traffic stop.”

• “Keep quiet about that—you don’t want any grasshoppers sniffing around.”

  Translation: “Keep it to yourself so the police don’t get involved.”

Similar Slang: Copper, Five-O, Plod, The Filth, Rozzers, Feds, Pigs