wheels up
adj.— «But the minute the last leader’s white-topped helicopter took off at the crack of dawn Friday—went “wheels up,” in the parlance of law enforcement officers—coastal Georgians rushed to resume normal summertime activities, such as basking on the beach instead of in the international spotlight.» —“The coast is clear; back to tourism” by Jingle Davis, Marlon Manuel in Savannah Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Ga.) June 12, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Frederick from Valdosta, Georgia, wonders about the term galley-west. To knock something galley-west means to “knock it into confusion” “send everything in all directions.” In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry...
A flashlight doesn’t flash. It provides a steady beam of light. So why is it called a flashlight? The earliest versions lit up only briefly before the batteries gave out and required a recharge, so they were literally “flash lights...