 cop out,what is it's origin? does Change Of Plans figure into the word cop?

Extended definition?

In common usage, cop out often has an element of cowardice, not merely inefficiency and laziness; people 'cop out' of answering questions for fear of humiliation, they 'cop out' of delivering bad news out of cowardice. Heenan73 12:14, 29 September 2008 (UTC)Reply

I think the word itself does not carry the idea of cowardice, though it would sometimes or often be a factor or the factor in motivating the person who cops out. When we define a word we can't capture all of that kind of situational variation. It may be that the meaning will shift or has shifted a bit but that we haven't caught up with the shift. We would need to find some quotes, from books or newspaper, say, that illustrated usage that was more specific as to motive than our current definition. DCDuring TALK 23:37, 3 October 2008 (UTC)Reply