spit take
n.— «Nor does he think the public can muster a chuckle for “Danny Thomas doing spit takes. We’re too jaded now.”» —“Success of two new comedies depends on Hanks” by Joan E. Vadeboncoeur Syracuse Herald-Journal (New York) July 18, 1985. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Nancy Gabriel from Ithaca, New York, recalls her father’s no-nonsense responses to minor injuries when she was a child: After making sure she was really all right, he’d say, It’s far enough from your heart; it won’t kill you. Other times he might...
A listener in Unadilla, New York, says her husband, whose family is French-Canadian, uses the phrase That burns my onions when something irritates him. There are several kitchen-related metaphors used to express anger, including that steams my...