light the headlights
v.— «Cycling slang includes numerous terms for doping: “mess up the soup,” “pissing violet,” “having a magic suitcase,” “not riding on mineral water,” “loading the cannon” or “boiling the saucepan over” and “salting the mustard” and, in a reference to the eyes dilating when amphetamine is used, “lighting the headlights.” Most recently, amateur cyclists have talked of “dining chez Virenque,” a reference to the seven-times mountains winner banned after the Festina scandal.» —“Fotheringham’s Tour de France trivia” by William Fotheringham Guardian (U.K.) July 26, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What’s it like to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all the way from Mexico to Canada? You’ll end up with sore muscles and blisters, and great stories to tell. Along the way, you’ll also pick up some slang, like NoBo, SoBo, Yo-yo and...
The slang phrase someone ate and left no crumbs means the person did something really well. In a previous call, a listener who works in theater noted the use of ate to mean “did something well,” as in they really ate that haircut! This...