rustlers

Noun

rustler (plural rustlers)

1. One who rustles; a cattle (or other livestock) thief.
   • Two years have now passed since Hayward’s farm in north Wales was raided, leading to the loss of tens of thousands of bees. But the rustlers have continued to be active. Most recently they have targeted the property of one of her Anglesey neighbours, where around 40,000 bees were taken last month.2017 September 23, “From north Wales to Norfolk, distraught beekeepers ask: who’s stealing our hives?”, in The Observer
2. A bovine animal that can care for itself in any circumstances.
3. (US, Western, dated, especially, slang) An alert, energetic, driving person.
4. That which makes a rustling noise.
   • Like this weekend, with moderate temperatures, the sky a bowl of blue, and the wind not a cold curse or a hot furnace, but a bit of a leaf-rustler, a cooling refreshment.1987-1989, Thomas J. Murn, Outside View: nature columns from the Evansville Review