coop

[koop, koo p] /kup, kʊp/
noun
1.
an enclosure, cage, or pen, usually with bars or wires, in which fowls or other small animals are confined for fattening, transportation, etc.
2.
any small or narrow place.
3.
Slang. a prison.
4.
Sometimes Facetious. a cooperative, especially the cooperative bookstore of a college or university.
verb (used with object)
5.
to place in or as if in a coop; confine narrowly (often followed by up or in).
verb (used without object)
6.
Slang. (of a police officer) to park and sleep inside one's patrol car while on duty.
Idioms
7.
fly the coop, Informal. to run off; depart abruptly; escape:
We stopped to see my sister, but she'd flown the coop.
Origin
1250-1300; Middle English coupe basket, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Norwegian kaup wooden can; akin to Old English cȳpa basket
Related forms
uncoop, verb (used with object)
Can be confused
co-op, coop, co-opt, coupe.
British Dictionary definitions for fly the coop

coop1

/kuːp/
noun
1.
a cage or small enclosure for poultry or small animals
2.
a small narrow place of confinement, esp a prison cell
3.
a wicker basket for catching fish
verb
4.
(transitive; often foll by up or in) to confine in a restricted area
Word Origin
C15: probably from Middle Low German kūpe basket, tub; related to Latin cūpa cask, vat

coop2

/ˈkəʊˌɒp/
noun
1.
a cooperative, cooperative society, or shop run by a cooperative society

coop3

abbreviation
1.
a cooperative
Word Origin and History for fly the coop

coop

n.

"small cage for poultry," mid-14c., from Old English cype, cypa "basket, cask," akin to Middle Dutch kupe, Swedish kupa, and all probably from Latin cupa "tub, cask," from PIE *keup- "hollow mound" (see cup (n.)).

v.

1560s, from coop (n.). Related: Cooped; cooping.

fly the coop in Culture

fly the coop definition


To get away or escape: “The Hendersons found the cocktail party rather dull and decided to fly the coop.”

Slang definitions & phrases for fly the coop

fly the coop

verb phrase

To leave, esp to escape from confinement: He had flown the coop via a fire-escape/ Our Dubie done flew the coop (1910+)


coop

noun
  1. A jail or prison (1785+)
  2. place, esp a patrol car, where police officers sleep while on duty: all the cops will be in the coop (1960s+ Police)
verb

: There were the cats, the milkmen, and the cops cooping in a police car at the corner

Related Terms

fly the coop, hencoop, in the coop, rain cats and dogs

[police senses based on earlier coop, ''any shelter used by the police to avoid the elements''; fr chicken coop]


Related Abbreviations for fly the coop

coop

cooperative
Idioms and Phrases with fly the coop

fly the coop

Escape, run away, as in After years of fighting with my mother, my father finally flew the coop. This term originally meant “escape from jail,” known as the coop in underworld slang since the late 1700s. [ Late 1800s ]

coop

see: fly the coop