good cop bad cop

English

Alternative forms

• good cop, bad cop; Good Cop, Bad Cop; good-cop, bad-cop; good cop/bad cop; Good Cop/Bad Cop; good-cop/bad-cop; good cop-bad cop; good cop–bad cop; good-cop-bad-cop; good-cop bad-cop

Noun

good cop bad cop (uncountable)

1. A psychological tactic used for interrogation, involving one police officer playing the role of intimidating adversary, and another that of friend with whom the subject is encouraged to bond.
2. An analogous negotiation or interrogation tactic.

Translations

psychological tactic

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 做好做醜 / 做好做丑 (zou⁶ hou² zou⁶ cau²)

  Mandarin: 一個唱紅臉，一個唱白臉／一个唱红脸，一个唱白脸 (literally “one sings red face, one sings white face”), 红脸白脸 (literally “red face white face”)

• Finnish: hyvä poliisi, paha poliisi
• French: méchant flic, gentil flic m, bon flic, mauvais flic m
• German: guter Bulle, böser Bulle m
• Greek: καλός και κακός αστυφύλακας m (kalós kai kakós astyfýlakas)
• Polish: dobry i zły glina m, dobry i zły policjant m
• Spanish: poli bueno poli malo m