cropper

Everyday

1. (informal, UK, Australia, NZ) Come a cropper: to fall over badly, or to fail badly: he came a cropper on his bike. tree →
2. A plant that gives a crop: a good cropper (a plant that produces a lot). tree →
3. (US, history) A sharecropper: a farmer who works land and pays the owner with part of the crop. tree →

In the lessons

Mostly heard in the jokey phrase "come a cropper" in British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand talk, in stories about slips, falls and failures. In gardening, a "heavy cropper" gives lots of fruit. Phrases: come a cropper, a heavy cropper, a good cropper.

Examples

• He raced down the hill and came a cropper at the bottom. tree →
• (informal) The team came a cropper in the final and lost 5–0. tree →
• Watch out for ice or you'll come a cropper. tree →
• This apple tree is a heavy cropper — we picked 200 apples. tree →
• The horse came a cropper at the last fence. tree →
• These tomatoes are good croppers. tree →

Note

Almost always in "come a cropper" (= fall or fail). It is informal and old-fashioned but still common in the UK and Australia. Not related to "crop top" (a short top).