emu-bob
verb [no object] Australian
Carry out a detailed search of an area: the men form a line and emu-bob through the waist-high scrub [with object]: after emu-bobbing the surroundings for potential clues, they return along the track...
- The scouts spend much of the afternoon emu-bobbing through the scrub.
- They are emu-bobbing the desert at the moment with choppers.
- While waiting, they emu-bobbed the outer vicinity and the nearby roadside verges.
Origin
Early 20th century: with allusion to the movements of an emu bending its neck towards the ground in search of food.