subs. (thieves’).—A police spy; one in the pay of the police. [From COPPER (q.v.), a policeman, + NARK, a spy; used as a verb NARK signifies to watch or look after.]
1879. THO. SATCHELL, in Notes and Queries, 5 S., xi., 406. ‘COPPER’S NARK.’—A police spy.
1887. W. E. HENLEY, Villon’s Good-Night.
| For you, COPPERS, NARKS, and dubs, | |
| Who pinched me when upon the snam. |
1889. Answers, 20 July, p. 121, col. 1. He instructed me … on no account to appear to be anxious to pry into their secrets, lest I should be mistaken for a COPPER’S NARK, i.e., a person in the pay of the police.
