English Reference
Idiom idiom

cop a flower pot

Slang Cockney rhyming slang · East London
Meaning

cop it hot

Examples
SIMPLE

“You will cop a flower pot if you break that window.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The manager was so angry about the lost files that the poor assistant really had to cop a flower pot during the meeting.”

COMPLEX

“The politician knew he would cop a flower pot from the press once the public discovered he had ignored the safety warnings for months.”

Origin

To get into serious trouble. Suggested by the effect of a flower pot dropped from a window above on to someone below.

Anchors to
Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    cop on

    Common sense.

  2. 02

    cop one's whack

    To die.

  3. 03

    cop oneself on

    to cop on, stop behaving immaturely

  4. 04

    cop out

    To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.

Last updated June 7, 2026