noun
- plural of catchpoll; officers or constables, especially those who arrest debtors or execute warrants (archaic or historical)
Usage: archaic; historical; chiefly British
Examples
- The catchpolls arrived at dawn to serve the warrant.
- Medieval catchpolls were often feared by common folk for their harsh enforcement of the law.
- The debtor fled the city to escape the catchpolls.
- In old England, catchpolls had the authority to arrest those who owed money to the crown.