What it means
An old-school British nickname for a police officer. It comes off a bit warm, a bit cheeky, and a bit grandad-core now, but people still use it when they want to say police without sounding too stiff. You’ll hear it in chatty everyday talk more than in anything official.
Usage examples
"Two bobbies were outside the station having a natter, so I told Kev to hide his Tesco meal deal before they clocked us."
"Spotted two bobbies outside the chippy nicking a sausage roll from the queue. Honestly, the smell would tempt a saint at that hour."
"My nan still says bobby every time she hears a siren, even though the local lot drive Range Rovers now and wear stab vests, not capes."
"Careful round the corner, mate, there's a bobby parked up by the off-licence and he's clocking everyone."
"You can tell Dad's showing his age when he says ask the bobby instead of just saying police officer."
Where it comes from
Bobby comes from Sir Robert Peel, the politician behind the Metropolitan Police in London in 1829. Early officers got called Peelers from his surname and Bobbies from Robert. Bobby stuck as the softer, more familiar version, so it lived on in everyday British speech long after the name turned old-school.
Other ways to say it
This expression also appears in
