Cropper
/ˈkrɒp.ər/noun
A person or thing that crops; especially a sharecropper, or in the phrase “come a cropper,” a person who falls heavily or fails badly.
Did you know?The phrase “come a cropper” is believed to come from horse-riding slang, where a rider was thrown headfirst over the horse’s crop or hindquarters, turning a simple word into an image of sudden, humiliating ruin.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
cropp
“A top, head, cluster, or swelling growth; later also a bunch or tuft.”
Middle English
ME
croppe
“The top, summit, or produce of a plant; also the act of cutting or clipping.”
16th Century
English
cropper
“One who crops or cuts; later also a horse that throws its rider forward.”
19th Century
English
come a cropper
“To fall headlong, be thrown from a horse, or suffer a sudden failure.”
Modern English
English
cropper
“A person who crops; especially a sharecropper, and in idiom, someone who fails or falls badly.”