cop-out

n

excuse, dodge, evasion, fraud, pretence, pretext, alibi

COLLOQ. get-out, shirking, passing the buck

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\\ˈ ̷ ̷ ˌ ̷ ̷ \ noun (-s)

Etymology: cop out, verb (herein)

1. : an excuse for copping out : pretext

2. : the means for copping out

3. : one who cops out

4. : the act or an instance of copping out

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/kop"owt'/, n. Informal.

1. an act or instance of copping out; reneging; evasion: The governor's platform was a cop-out.

2. a person who cops out: Everyone helped as they had promised, except for one cop-out.

[1940-45; n. use of v. phrase cop out]

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cop-out UK US noun [countable] [singular cop-out plural cop-outs] informal

something you say or do to avoid doing what you should do

Telling him you’re ill sounds like a cop-out to me.

Thesaurus: reasons and excuses_synonym

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cop-out «KOP _OWT», noun. Slang.

1. a backing out or quitting; an avoidance, evasion, or escape: »

Addiction is a kind of “cop-out.” Without heroin, there would be pain and uncertainty (Atlantic). “That was no strategy,” one of them observed bitterly, “that was a cop-out” (New York Times).

2. a person who backs out or quits: »

The “flower children” have my vote as the cop-outs of the decade (Time).

3. a plea of guilty to the lesser of several charges: »

One goal is to do away with the need for a lengthy trial by producing a fast guilty plea—a “cop-out” (Time).

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n. informal an instance of avoiding a commitment or responsibility

being ‘average’ is the lazy person's cop-out

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/ˈkɑːpˌaʊt/ noun, pl -outs [count]

informal + disapproving

1 : an excuse for not doing something

He played poorly and used his recent illness as a cop-out.

She says she doesn't have the time, but that's just a cop-out. [=she really does have the time]

2 : something that avoids dealing with a problem in an appropriate way

The ending of the book is a disappointing cop-out.

— see also cop out at ↑cop, 2

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ˈcop-out [cop-out cop-outs] noun (informal, disapproving)

a way of avoiding doing sth that you should do, or an excuse for not doing it

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Not turning up was just a cop-out.