good-cop/bad-cop

Noun

good-cop/bad-cop (uncountable)

1. Alternative form of good cop bad cop.
   • 1981, Ronald Silliman, Tjanting, Figures:

     Imagine the grownups play good-cop/bad-cop with real guns & mean it.

   • 1984, Fantasy & Science Fiction:

     Mr. K always smiles, and Ms. V always frowns. Are they playing good-cop/bad-cop?

   • 1989, Loren D. Estleman, Robert J. Randisi, L. J. Washburn, Ed Gorman, The Black Moon, →ISBN:

     My guess was that Parnell was playing good-cop/bad-cop, and was being the bad cop. Tony Mack, being an ex-cop himself, caught on and played along.

   • 1991, Andrea Edwards, Starting Over, Silhouette, →ISBN:

     Apparently Ben was playing good-cop/bad-cop all by himself.

   • 1992, Sally Falcon, Stolen Kisses, Kismet, →ISBN:

     If she was annoyed that they had tricked her into driving Logan back to Little Rock from the rally, then she wouldn’t be thrilled about her two brothers playing good-cop/bad-cop to find out the guy’s intentions.

   • 1996, Joseph Mauro, Al Franken Is a Bucktoothed Moron—And Other Observations: The Right Strikes Back!, →ISBN:

     It had gone like that all night, until well after midnight, the boys playing good-cop/bad-cop or using whatever means they had to put out the fires.

   • 2014, Teresa Lynn Paris McDonnell, The Diet God, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 124:

     “Listen, gentlemen. I have watched a lot of cop-based TV shows in my day and I know that when one policeman is nice to you and the other one doesn’t look so nice that’s called ‘good-cop/bad-cop.’ Now, there’s no reason to play good-cop/bad-cop because I will tell you everything you want to know down to the last detail. All I ask is that you believe me.”

   • 2021, Debra Dunbar, Imp Series Books 7-9:

     Raphael smiled. This was his captive and the pair of us were playing good-cop/bad-cop. Well, maybe bad-cop/bad-cop.