poddy-dodger
- Noun (Australian informal):
- A person who rounds up unbranded cattle or other livestock, especially those belonging to others, for the purpose of theft or illegal branding: "poddy-dodger" refers to a cattle rustler who targets unbranded calves or young animals (called "poddies") that have not yet been marked with a brand, often stealing them from their rightful owners.
- (A person suspected of stealing unbranded cattle.)
- (A stock thief operating in rural areas.)
"to work as a poddy-dodger": to engage in the illegal practice of rounding up and stealing unbranded cattle.
- He was caught working as a poddy-dodger on the remote station. (He was caught stealing unbranded livestock.)
"poddy-dodger's trick": a deceptive method used to avoid detection while stealing livestock.
- The poddy-dodger's trick of altering brands was well-known among local graziers. (A technique for concealing the theft of cattle.)
Poddy (n): a young, unbranded calf or lamb.
- The poddy was separated from its mother and left unmarked. (An unbranded young animal.)
Dodger (n): a person who avoids something (e.g., a draft dodger); in this compound, it means one who evades detection or ownership rules.
- He was a known tax dodger, but his poddy-dodging activities were worse. (A person who evades legal obligations.)
Poddy-dodging (n): the act or practice of stealing unbranded livestock.
- Poddy-dodging was a persistent problem in the pastoral industry. (The crime of stealing unbranded animals.)
- Cattle rustler: a thief who steals cattle.
- Stock thief: a person who steals livestock.
- Brand thief: someone who illegally alters or applies brands to stolen animals.
Dodge the brand: to avoid branding or marking livestock for illegal purposes.
- He tried to dodge the brand by hiding the poddy in a remote gully. (Avoided the legal marking process.)
Round up unbranded: to gather unbranded animals for theft.
- The poddy-dodger would round up unbranded calves at night. (Collect unbranded livestock stealthily.)
To brand someone a poddy-dodger: to accuse someone of being a cattle thief.
- The community branded him a poddy-dodger after the missing calves were found on his land. (Publicly labeled him as a rustler.)
Poddy-dodger's luck: a phrase describing the apparent good fortune of a thief who avoids capture.
- He had poddy-dodger's luck, always escaping the law. (A streak of evasion from consequences.)