What does callop mean?
Callop is a regional noun with two distinct lives in English. Its older sense, common in Irish and northern English dialect, denotes a thin slice of meat or bacon—essentially a variant spelling of the better-known word 'collop'—and it most often turns up describing rashers fried for a hearty breakfast. Its other sense is entirely antipodean: in Australia, particularly along the Murray River system, 'callop' names the golden perch, a prized freshwater food fish that anglers pursue with enthusiasm. The word thus carries a homely, rustic flavour in Britain and Ireland, while in Australia it evokes river fishing and fresh catch. Though never a formal or literary term, callop rewards anyone interested in how a single word form can serve both the kitchen and the waterway, and it remains a charming piece of regional vocabulary on both sides of the equator.
A thin slice or rasher of meat or bacon, especially one intended to be fried.
"For supper she grilled a callop of bacon with eggs."
Chiefly Irish and northern English dialect; the standard spelling elsewhere is 'collop'.
The golden perch (Macquaria ambigua), a freshwater food fish native to the Murray-Darling basin of Australia.
"The tournament anglers weighed in several large callop from the Murray."
Australian usage, especially in angling circles.
Standard plural; used for multiple slices of meat or multiple fish.
"The pan sizzled with three callops of bacon."
In parts of Australia, ordering 'callop' at dinner gets you a fish, not bacon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of callop
The meat sense of callop is a regional variant of 'collop', a word of uncertain ultimate origin recorded in English by the early modern period and traditionally associated with Irish and northern English usage; some scholars connect it to Old Norse 'kalvfrás' meaning veal slices. It entered Australian English through colonial settlement, where it was applied to the golden perch, giving the word its second, purely Australasian life.
How callop is actually used
The meat-slice sense is largely confined to Irish and northern English regional speech, where it competes with the more common spelling 'collop'. The fish sense is specifically Australian and appears in angling contexts around the Murray-Darling basin.
Easily confused with callop
Collop is the standard English spelling for a slice of meat or bacon, while callop is a dialectal variant of the same word.
A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusc or its edible muscle, whereas a callop is a slice of meat or bacon.