[f. COPE v.3 + -ER1.]
1. One who ‘copes’; a dealer, chapman.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., 152. Forebuyers of quheit, bear, and aites, copers, sellers, and turners thereof in merchandices.
1832. L. Hunt, Sir R. Esher (1850), 118. There is not a better caterer or coper of his birds, ’twixt this and the Land’s End.
b. Often in comb., as horse-, herring, salmon-, † silver-coper (-cooper, -couper). See these words.
a. 1734. North, Lives, I. 287. There were horsecopers amongst them.
1796. Stedman, Surinam, II. xvii. 28. One Cordus … had been trepanned into the West India Company’s Service by the crimps or silver-coopers as a common soldier.
1845. New Statist. Acc. Scot., Berwicksh., 160. The fisheries are chiefly rented by Salmon Coopers in Berwick.
1891. C. Bradley, in Outdoor Games & Recr., xxii. 357. That old rascal Screwdriver, the pony coper.
c. spec. (= horse-coper) A horse-dealer.
1825. C. M. Westmacott, Engl. Spy, I. 236. The old clerical’s turned coper.
1864. C. Clarke, Box for Season, I. 291. The young cavalry officer was a bit of a coper … and was not long in ascertaining that he had got hold of a circus-horse.
1882. Pall Mall Gaz., 2 June, 4/1. The trade of the coper is all trickery.
2. Derbyshire Mines. ‘One who agrees to take or make a bargain to get [lead] ore:’ see COPE v.3 4, COPE sb.3 3.
1802. J. Mawe, Min. Derbysh., Gloss.
1815. Farey, View Agric. Derbyshire, I. 366. The miners who dig the Ore are usually called Copers, from their working at a certain Cope or price per Ton.
