I wonder if asking them, "hedge trimmers, do you mean tools or personell?" would be a good idea.
Not right now, anyway.

What with the "sheriff" word there

Assuming I didn't encounter the word in a context but "someone in charge of a/the colony", I am translating it in my head with "governor", not "sheriff".

Also, I couldn't say "zoo animals" if I hadn't heard "zoo" in Instarrian, which somehow seems unlikely after that comment.