English

A police vehicle fitted with a roo bar

Alternative forms

• roo-bar
• 'roo bar

Noun

roo bar ‎(plural roo bars)

1. (Australia, colloquial) A metal bar or framework of metal bars on the front of a vehicle to protect it during collisions with kangaroos or cattle.
   • 2003, Nicholas Rothwell, Aboriginal Portraits, Peter Craven (editor), The Best Australian Essays 2003, page 93,

     Mr Giles has even, rather whimsically, helped design his preferred vehicle: roo bar for those late-night mercy dashes, roof rack for swags, red hand-print (‘my hand’) instead of red cross on the side.

   • 2006, Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries, 2nd edition, page 21,

     lf you drive in the outback, be sure to bring plenty of water, your cell phone, and other safety supplies (have a roo-bar on the front of the car).

   • 2010, Nikki Logan, The Soldier′s Untamed Heart, unnumbered page,

     Her arm looped around the roo bar and she pulled herself into a more upright position, ignoring the sharp stab in her leg.

   • 2010, Ralph Alcock, Hidden Identity, page 32,

     “Keeps those bloody roos from wrecking the bus,” he explained. Leather water bags, wet and shiny, dangled from the roo bars like a series of sad, drooping eyes.

Synonyms

• (protective bar on a vehicle): bull bar, kangaroo bar, cowcatcher (trains)