excitation leap
n.— «How, in fact, does a reindeer warn of danger? It jumps in the air—what scientists call an “excitation leap”—and then runs away. All of the other reindeer see the leap, see the running, and take off running, too. Provided they learned the drill as calves.» —“Smart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick: Any reindeer games?” by Kurt Knebusch North Texas e-News (Texas) Dec. 7, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
If someone’s got melon, it means they’re smart. The expression most likely arose because of the resemblance between a melon and a human head. Several other foods are associated with having brains, including a cabbage, a gourd, and even a...
Aubrey in Waco, Texas, says her mother used to warn the kids against contracting honkus of the bonkus, a fanciful name for a contagious disease. This colloquial term probably comes from the words bonk and konk, meaning “to hit” or...