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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Verb Phrase 168. The verb phrase today is to

  • cop out. Okay, We got three meanings of cop out today. So ... we're going to

  • give examples of them all here. So let's look at the first one.

  • If someone cops out, he or she is trying to avoid doing something, often in a

  • sneaky way by giving a poor excuse or a lame excuse.

  • Sometimes due to cowardice, laziness etc. Okay. So here's the first example

  • we might use for this definition. Don't try to cop out. You know this is your

  • responsibility to do that. All right. That's number one or the

  • second one here for this one. I don't believe his excuse. He is just

  • trying to cop out because he is too lazy. All right. We might say that. All right.

  • Here's the second one. We say cop out. To break a promise or commitment. Like if

  • you promise somebody to do something and then you try to take it back. So we might

  • say you, you cop out on a promise or commitment to someone. All right. So let's

  • look at the first example here. Don't cop out on me. I know your ex-boyfriend will

  • be at the wedding , but you promised to be my maid of honor. Yeah. Maid of honor that's

  • very important just like best man. So especially if it's you know, at the last

  • minute. Maybe this girl she doesn't want to go because she found out her ex

  • boyfriends coming to this wedding. She doesn't want to be there with him, but she

  • had promised this other girl to be her maid of honor.

  • But now she's trying to find a reason or some excuse to cop out. To get out of it.

  • Okay. All right. That one could be for cowardice actually. All right. Let's

  • continue. Here's the second one . I know you hate babysitting,

  • but you promised you would watch my kids for a few hours while I do this. And I'm

  • assuming this is very important. Don't cop out on me now.

  • I need your help. So again somebody promised to do something or made a

  • commitment and now they're trying to get out of it. All right , And the third one here. If

  • someone cops out , he or she pleads guilty to a lesser charge in order to

  • avoid a more serious punishment. This is used in the same sense as to cop a plea

  • or cop a plea bargain. We hear this all the time. Somebody, maybe the police

  • threatened and that they may get a very serious punishment but if they you know,

  • if they rat on other people or tell on other people to get help them convict

  • those people, maybe they'll give them a much less serious punishment or a

  • sentence , a much less serious sentence. Okay. So let's continue here. Okay. So he, he

  • decided to cop out and accept a lower charge rather than risk a lengthy prison

  • sentence. Okay. Again very similar to the idea of cop a plea. Let's continue. We

  • have another little note here. This use is derived from an old use cop. To cop

  • something, meaning to seize or to take. Okay. This can be seen in other phrases

  • such as cop ... So we sometimes say somebody could cop an attitude you know, you

  • always wonder what ? Why cop an attitude ? What they mean is to take or seize an attitude.

  • Cop a plea. You know, take or seize a plea or a plea bargain. Cop a squat you

  • know, like they squat down like the way that catcher sits in baseball. That's a

  • squat. So now we know why. Okay. Anyway, I hope you got it. I hope you found it

  • informative. Thank you for your time. Bye- bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Verb Phrase 168. The verb phrase today is to

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