UK to America: The riots are all your fault also involves American Slang

It just means police/authorities here, from what I can tell.  Last week's "Trollied" had one of the butchers use it jokingly when the intern assistant manager (or whatever) was headed their way.

Of course, used seriously, it sounds to me like people playing cops and robbers.

It just means police/authorities here, from what I can tell.  Last week's "Trollied" had one of the butchers use it jokingly when the intern assistant manager (or whatever) was headed their way.

Of course, used seriously, it sounds to me like people playing cops and robbers.

I googled and found it is a term for federal police in Mexico or authorities in Puerto Rico

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federales

http://www.google.com/search?q=federales&hl=en&biw=999&bih=515&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=RpVNTtvDPM3PgAf35unlBg&sqi=2&ved=0CDYQsAQ

I googled and found it is a term for federal police in Mexico or authorities in Puerto Rico

I've always heard 'Feds' for American federal agents, whether it is FBI, ATF etc, and Federale used for Mexican/South American federal authorities, but I don't think I have ever heard it shortened to Fed.

I've always heard 'Feds' for American federal agents, whether it is FBI, ATF etc,

Me too so we are on the same page.

Me too so we are on the same page.

Oh yeah, the Feds are any Federal agents like FBI, ATF, DEA etc. Usually the term is used like, Sh** it's the Feds!

Oh yeah, the Feds are any Federal agents like FBI, ATF, DEA etc. Usually the term is used like, Sh** it's the Feds!

depending on which side of the law you are on maybe?

Yes, "Feds" are American federal agents.  Is anyone saying that they aren't called that?  Since this isn't a federal system here and no agents/authorities are officially called "federal" anything here, when it's used to call British police (whose counterparts wouldn't be called "feds" in the US), it's got a different feel to it.  And it's come to mean any sort of authority here, police or otherwise, which again is different than its use in the US.  But it might cross over to the US and begin to mean more what it does here.