# What is French for "cop"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 20, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215 "2003-11-20T00:27:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/1 "2003-11-20T00:27:00Z")
I am curious to know if the French have a slang term for a policeman (gendarm sp?). Someone told me it was a word sounding like “flip”, IIRC. Is this correct? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/2 "2003-11-20T00:27:39Z")
flic ---
**Author:** ![Holden\_West](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@Holden\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Holden_West)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/3 "2003-11-20T00:57:12Z")
The 1993 Burt Reynolds film “Cop and a Half” was released in France as “[Un Flic et Demi](http://perso.wanadoo.fr/busterkeat/Pages/1990/1992flic.htm)” I remember seeing the movie posters on every kiosk down the Champs Elysées [shudder]. …sorry for the hijack:D ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/4 "2003-11-20T02:06:20Z")
It’s “flic” , indeed. (pronounced “fleek”) ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/5 "2003-11-20T02:14:37Z")
Hi Jacque… The French Film ‘Les Ripoux’, Parisian backslang for ‘The Rotten’ was released over here as ‘Le Cop’. Top film. Well worth watching. I should change my name to ‘Carlos’… ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/6 "2003-11-20T04:01:55Z")
There is also “keuf” (urban slang) and “feuk” if you want to be even more vulgar. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/7 "2003-11-20T05:15:57Z")
Wow, I knew the Verlan (sp?) ‘keuf’ - but it’s been reversed _again_ to produce ‘feuk’ ?! ---
**Author:** ![Bromley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Bromley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bromley)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/8 "2003-11-20T08:30:30Z")
Anybody know the etymolgy of _flic_? No acronyms! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zorro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ad7895/32.png) [@Zorro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zorro)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/9 "2003-11-20T09:14:09Z")
There’s also _perdreau_ (partridge) and _poulet_ (chicken), but these have fallen out of favour. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/10 "2003-11-20T09:19:24Z")
**DarrenS** : yes, and it’s not the only example. See [french.about.com](http://french.about.com/library/vocab/bl-verlan.htm). ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2003, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-french-for-cop/214215/11 "2003-11-20T10:25:48Z")
If you can read French, [there’s an article](http://www.defense.gouv.fr/gendarmerie/lexique/bdihufafei.html) that talks about all the slang terms for “policeman”. It’s from the _French ministry of defense_. Wow. As for the etymology of “flic”, I’ve found [an article originally published in 1930](http://gallica.bnf.fr/scripts/ConsultationTout.exe?O=73420) by a precursor of Cecil, on Gallica: > [@](#): > > Flic - > (…) > On orthographie aussi flique et l’on a dit flique ? dard autrefois. On trouve flique dans Vidocq, mais c’est une mauvaise graphie.D’apr?s F. Michel, altération de _friquet_, terme injurieux valant anciennement autant que mouche, espion. Pourrait ?tre une corruption du vieux français _frisque, frique_, vif, éveillé, alerte, tous mots convenant au gardien de la paix; quand ? _dard_, il s’explique aisément, c’est l’épée, le sabre des agents. Hector France hasarde le provençal _flisca, flisquela_, fermer au loquet, enfermer. > Sainéan, dans son ouvrage _L’argot ancien_ - un des meilleurs livres, entre parenth?se, qu’on ait écrit sur l’argot - voit l? une onomatopée; _flic, flique_, dit-il, exprime proprement le claquement du fouet et de la main (_Flic-flac_ en français) et traduit ? peu pr?s la m?me notion que son synonyme _cogne_. On a aussi voulu voir l? une corruption de _clique_, ce qui paraît peu vraisemblable. > L’origine reste incertaine. > > GUSTAVE FUSTIER My translation: > [@](#): > > Flic > Also spelled “flique”, and “flique ? dard” has been used > in the past.“Flique” is found in Vidocq, but it is a mis-spelling.According to F. Michel, it is an alteration of “frique”, an injurious term that meant, in the past, “mouche” (slang term for spy), spy. It might be a corruption of old French “frisque”, “frique”, sharp, awake, alert, all words applying to keepers of the peace. As for “dard” (dart), it is easily explained, it is the agent’s sword, sabre. > Hector France puts forth the Provençal terms “flisca”, “flisquela”, to lock up. > Sainéan, in his work “Ancient _argot_ (French slang)” - one of the best books, by the way, written on argot - sees an onomatopoeia; “flic”, “flique”, he says, properly expresses the snap of a whip or a hand (“flic-flac” in French) and translates about the same notion as its synonym “cogne”. Some have also seen in it a corruption of “clique”, but that seems unlikely. > The origin remains uncertain. > > GUSTAVE FUSTIER The “Vidocq” mentioned was police chief until 1827 and wrote about crime and his life. Hope that answers your question!