Leaping as non-U greeting (9)

I believe the answer is:

saltation

'leaping' is the definition.
(I know that leaping can be written as saltation)

'non-u greeting' is the wordplay.
'non' is a deletion indicator.
'greeting' becomes 'salutation' (synonyms).
'salutation' with 'u' taken away is 'SALTATION'.

'as' is the link.

(Another definition for saltation that I've seen is " Abrupt variation".)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.

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