bow street runner

n. (also Bow Street officer) hist. a London policeman.
Etymology: Bow Street in London, containing the chief metropolitan police-court

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noun also bow street officer \\ˈbō-\

Usage: usually capitalized B&S

Etymology: from Bow Street, London, England

: a London policeman attached to the Bow Street police court; specifically : one of the officers appointed about 1805 to act as detectives in London and elsewhere in England

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Bow Street runner,

an officer attached to the court at Bow Street, especially in the early 1800's.

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Bow Street Runner 7 [Bow Street Runner] [ˌbəʊ striːt ˈrʌnə(r)] [ˌboʊ striːt ˈrʌnər] noun (BrE, informal)

a police officer in London, in the past