patch pumpkin n.
[Perl hackers] A notional token passed around among the
members of a project. Possession of the patch pumpkin means one
has the exclusive authority to make changes on the project's
master source tree. The implicit assumption is that `pumpkin
holder' status is temporary and rotates periodically among senior
project members.
This term comes from the Perl development community, but has
been sighted elsewhere. It derives from a stuffed-toy pumpkin
that was passed around at a development shop years ago as the
access control for a shared backup-tape drive.