jackrabbit

[ jak-rab-it ]

/ ˈdʒækˌræb ɪt /

resembling a jack rabbit, as in suddenness or rapidity of movement: The car made a jackrabbit start when the traffic light turned green.

to go or start forward with a rapid, sudden movement.

Origin of jackrabbit

First recorded in 1925–30; see origin at jack rabbit

I sees dem comin,' and you couldn' catched dem with a jackrabbit.

Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves |Work Projects Administration
Didnt know but I might have a chance to shoot a jackrabbit or the like.

Ruth Fielding In the Saddle |Alice B. Emerson
There are seventeen miles of workings down here in the Jackrabbit, let alone the Mal Pais.

A Texas Ranger |William MacLeod Raine
Occasionally a jackrabbit crossed their trail, or a flock of birds flew whirring from the path before them.

Ruth Fielding at Silver Ranch |Alice B. Emerson

He wears a yellow buckskin kilt, a jackrabbit skin cap with down attached, and sage wristlets.

Notes on the Kiowa Sun Dance |Leslie Spier