alligator arms
n.pl.— «Some of the best players in the NBA have developed “alligator arms”— sports parlance for not extending the arms—under the pressure of big free throws.» —“The fine art of shooting free throws” by Eric Plummer Bonner County Daily Bee (Sandpoint, Idaho) Dec. 31, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s the origin of the phrase a country mile? Vida from Rochester, New York, says her husband often uses it, as in “go about a country mile and then make a left.” The expression goes back at least 300 years in the United Kingdom and has long meant...
You know the expression fly in the ointment: It’s that glaring typo on an impressive resume or that first scratch on a brand-new car—the one little flaw that spoils it all. This phrase goes all the way back to the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes! And...