emu bob
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]The motion of the people repeatedly bending down and standing up is likened to emus bobbing their head as they forage on the ground.
Noun
[edit]emu bob (countable and uncountable, plural emu bobs)
- (Australia) A task assigned to a group of people, especially schoolchildren or army recruits, where they move around an area and pick up rubbish from the ground.
- Synonyms: emu parade, emu patrol
Usage notes
[edit]Occasionally the term and its synonyms are applied to another activity which involves repetitive bending down over a wide area, such as searching for clues relating to somebody's disappearance.