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
Unwrap the name of a candy bar, and you just might find a story inside. For instance, one chewy treat found in many a checkout lane is named after a family’s beloved horse. And: 50 years ago in the United States, some Latino elementary...
