shit the bed
v. phr.— Note: Used in professional wrestling to mean “have stage fright” or “to be unable to go through with a plan.” «A: It is the total package, yes. It is the charisma. It the ability to take the audience on a ride. It is hopefully some wrestling ability, because you can’t—again, to use the parlance of our business—s**t the bed when you are out there. Excuse me. Q It is a business term, I understand. A It actually is, believe it or not.» —“Stephanie McMahon Talks Steroids, Tells Congress That Hulk Hogan Is ‘Terrible’” Back Porch FanHouse Jan. 12, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
When a teenager went a week without talking as part of a school project, he noticed a surprising side effect: Instead of rehearsing a response to what other people were saying to him, he was focused on listening — and feeling smarter as a result...
There are lots of colloquial phrases to explain away the cacophony of a thunderstorm: The potato wagons are rolling, The tater wagon’s going over the bridge, The potato wagon broke down, and God is dumping out potatoes and washing them off. In...