Popo (police)

Mon Oct 16 20:27:57 UTC 2006

Jon notes "... the fact that 'popo' also means backside."

Feet up! Pat him on the _popo_! Let's hear him laugh! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!

This is the refrain of an old '50's pop song that I *hated*! So,
naturally, the passage of a half-century hasn't been sufficient to
enable me to forget it. Of course, if Jon had not mentioned "popo," I
might well have forgotten the song. However, I'm not attempting to
place the onus on Jon. How could he have known?

-Wilson

On 10/15/06, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Popo (police)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> HDAS III will offer 1994.  Wherever it originated, my students were reporting it as common by 1997.
>
>   I like the "PO" suggestion.
>
>   That and the fact that "popo" also means backside.
>
>   JL
>
> Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
> Subject: Popo (police)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I don't know what HDAS or OED has for "popo." A cite below says this comes =20
> from Texas slang, but I think California is more likely.
> ...
> ...
> ...
> =20
> _http://www.rapdict.org/Po-po_ (http://www.rapdict.org/Po-po)=20
> =20
> noun
> po-po =20
> The police. "Anybody seen the po-po's, let 'em know" -- "Anybody Seen The =20
> Popo's," Ice Cube =20
> ...=20
> ...
>
> =20
> =20
>
> _http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=3Dpopo_=20
> (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=3Dpopo)=20
>
> POPO (javascript:void(0)) 364 up, 31 down (javascript:void(0)) =20=
> =20
> =20
> =20
> A Police officer. especially the ones that rides on bikes.
>
> Orgin: California late 80's
>
> police officers that patrols certain beaches on bikes wore a vest that said=
> =20
> PO in huge blockletters on each of their chest. which means Police Officer.=
> =20
> they usually ride around in group of two's.
>
> when you see them coming by. you see the word "PO" "PO" when they stand nex=
> t=20
> to each other.=20
> Man.. here comes the PoPo to tell us what to do again.=20
> by _Lec2_ (http://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=3DLec2) Feb 9,=20=
> =20
> 2003 _email it_ (javascript:void(0))=20
>
>
>
> ...
> ...
> (GOOGLE BOOKS)
> _Ethics in Crime and Justice: Dilemmas and Decisions - Page 133_=20
> (http://books.google.com/books?vid=3DISBN053456349X&id=3D3Nnzg6ieoAgC&pg=3DP=
> A133&lpg=3DPA133&dq=3Dpo
> po+police&ie=3DISO-8859-1&sig=3DKOc6bUfVVg6BwYaxWfX1fbcoFSs)=20
> by Joycelyn M Pollock - Law - 2003 - 440 pages
> The POPO (=E2=80=9Cpissing offa police officer=E2=80=9D) doctrine that desc=
> ribes how=20
> affronts to =20
> police authority often end in unethical uses of force; . ...
> ...
> ...
> (GOOGLE NEWS)
> _Many of Our Black Athletes Are Going Backwards; Not Forward_=20
> (http://www.blackathlete.net/artman/publish/article_02401.shtml)=20
> BlackAthlete.net - Sep 29,
> ... Now there is nothing wrong with hanging out with teammates but this=20
> police blotter syndrome ... Let me just say that if the Dallas PoPo had ask=
> ed me=20
> questions that ...=20
> ...
> ...
> (GOOGLE BLOGS)
> _Ticket?! WHAT?!_=20
> (http://lejolilapin.blogspot.com/2006/09/ticket-what_12.html) 12 Sep 20=
> 06 by Vicki =20
> And I see this popo (Texas slang for police) sittin' on the inside of a =20
> curve.=20
> So I thought "crap!" and I looked down at my speedometer and thought=20
> "shit!".=20
> Because, I was doing about 60 in a 45. I was about to put my foot on the=20
> brake ...
> _Bloggin' - http://lejolilapin.blogspot.com_=20
> (http://lejolilapin.blogspot.com/)=20
> ...
> ...
> _I Hate Cops_=20
> (http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=3Dblog.view&friendID=3D3098097=
> 8&blogID=3D180024225) 16 hours ago=20
> Our law enforcement, better known as the police/cops/popo, are generally=20
> assholes.=20
> Actually, I like to think of them as the local gestapo. I've met more of=20
> them=20
> than I would've lik...
> _My Blog - http://blog.myspace.com/30980978_=20
> (http://blog.myspace.com/30980978)=20
> ...
> ...
> _THE "POPO" GOT US._ (http://cadarlo.livejournal.com/8777.html) 8 Oct=20
> 2006 by Arissa =20
> ... the neighborhood and we got pulled over by the po-po in front of the=20
> church.=20
> ... The police pulled us over because someone called them on us for playing=
> =20
> ...=20
> So he made me sit there in the backseat of the police car for 20 minutes, =20
> ...
> _Bonzo Goes to Bitburg - http://cadarlo.livejournal.com/_=20
> (http://cadarlo.livejournal.com/)=20
>
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--
Everybody says, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange
complaint to come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is knows how deep
a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our
race. He brought death into the world.

--Sam Clemens

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