John Hop
/dʒɒn ˈhɒp
/noun Australian /NZ informal
A police officer: they cleared out, scared by a John Hop...
- Tell him if he does not show up at two o'clock I'll send a John Hop after him.
- Splinter turned again to the sleeping Mac and shook him hard. "Hey, wake up, you drip. Mac, please wake up. Hey, Mac, there's a John Hop here."
- “I wasn't thinking of making any suggestions to your guests, but rather to the john-hops,” grimly persisted the big man.
Origin
Early 20th century: rhyming slang for cop1, perhaps influenced by john 'police officer', ultimately from French gendarme.