Formica is Latin for ant. Savvy is (above) shamefully misspelt, but means, shrewd and knowledgeable.

The mystery then continues! Doped up on sugar remains my second best bet. Or, no, that would make them hyper, wouldn't it? Dying from an antacid then (anti-acid: as a child, squishing the words together and twisting them apart in multiple ways, I used to think that antacids were used against ants)?