fair cop

Meanings

1. A justifiable or reasonable capture or apprehension; also, broadly, a just or inescapable accusation.

Etymology

Compound of fair (“just, correct”) + cop (“capture, arrest”). Attested from the late 19th century. The cop portion is originally from Northern England and is perhaps from a regional pronunciation of the now obsolete verb cap (“to capture; to seize”). Compare Scots cap (“seize, take by force”), kep (“catch”).