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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

good-cop/bad-cop en · NOUN

Meanings

  1. (alt-of, alternative, uncountable) Alternative form of good cop bad cop.
    • “Listen, gentlemen. I have watched a lot of cop-based TV shows in my day and I know that when one policeman is nice to you and the other one doesn’t look so nice that’s called ‘good-cop/bad-cop.’ Now, there’s no reason to play good-cop/bad-cop because I will tell you everything you want to know down to the last detail. All I ask is that you believe me.” 2014, Teresa Lynn Paris McDonnell, The Diet God, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 124:
    • If she was annoyed that they had tricked her into driving Logan back to Little Rock from the rally, then she wouldn’t be thrilled about her two brothers playing good-cop/bad-cop to find out the guy’s intentions. 1992, Sally Falcon, Stolen Kisses, Kismet, →ISBN:
    • It had gone like that all night, until well after midnight, the boys playing good-cop/bad-cop or using whatever means they had to put out the fires. 1996, Joseph Mauro, Al Franken Is a Bucktoothed Moron—And Other Observations: The Right Strikes Back!, →ISBN:
    • Apparently Ben was playing good-cop/bad-cop all by himself. 1991, Andrea Edwards, Starting Over, Silhouette, →ISBN:
    • Mr. K always smiles, and Ms. V always frowns. Are they playing good-cop/bad-cop? 1984, Fantasy & Science Fiction:
    • Raphael smiled. This was his captive and the pair of us were playing good-cop/bad-cop. Well, maybe bad-cop/bad-cop. 2021, Debra Dunbar, Imp Series Books 7-9:
    • Imagine the grownups play good-cop/bad-cop with real guns & mean it. 1981, Ronald Silliman, Tjanting, Figures:
    • My guess was that Parnell was playing good-cop/bad-cop, and was being the bad cop. Tony Mack, being an ex-cop himself, caught on and played along. 1989, Loren D. Estleman, Robert J. Randisi, L. J. Washburn, Ed Gorman, The Black Moon, →ISBN: