jump the string
v. phr.— «The fastest compound bows shoot arrows faster than 300 feet per second, but whitetails are such alert animals that they often hear the archery shot and react before the arrow reaches them. The reaction is often called “jumping the string,” but the deer doesn’t really jump. It crouches and gathers itself to run, and the arrow passes just over the deer’s back.» —“For a real challenge, trade your gun for a bow” by Ray Sasser Dallas Morning News (Texas) Sept. 26, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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The new Downton Abbey movie is a luscious treat for fans of the public-television period piece, but how accurate is the script when it comes to the vocabulary of the early 20th century? It may be jarring to hear the word swag, but it was already at...