rozzer

plural rozzers · alternative rosser

1. IrelandUKdatedslangA police officer.

   If the rozzers was to see him in bona clobber they'd take him for a gun.

   1893, P. H. Emerson, Signor Lippo, Burnt-Cork Artiste

   3 more examples

   "Another wrong un," says the carman. "Hi, Mr. Graham!"—and up walks a rozzer and buckles me tight.

   1888 May 26, The Sporting Times

   ‘I was never frightened of any job yet,’ he said, ‘and I'd do this job to-night if the house was full of rozzers,’ Hill pretended that he wasn't particular whether the thing came off or not that night, but all the while he kept egging Fred on to do it.

   1916, Arthur J. Rees, John R. Watson, The Hampstead Mystery

   Jed Mercurio’s corrupt cop hit remains one of the best shows on TV, but surely every rozzer in the Midlands knows who Kate Fleming is by now?

   2017 March 25, Errigo Angie, “Dodgy detectives, Twitter trolls and whistleblowers: Line of Duty is back”, in The Guardian, TV & Radio blog

   Synonyms: 5-O, alphabet, barney, beatsman, bizzie, bluebottle, bluecoat, blue heeler