catch someone on the hop
Look at other dictionaries:
catch someone on the hop — catch (someone) on the hop if you catch someone on the hop, you do something when they are not ready for it and may not be able to deal with it well. I m afraid you ve caught me on the hop I wasn t expecting your call until this afternoon. If we… … New idioms dictionary
catch someone on the hop — British informal to surprise someone because you do something that they do not expect you to do Yesterday s developments caught the government on the hop … English dictionary
catch on the hop — catch (someone) on the hop if you catch someone on the hop, you do something when they are not ready for it and may not be able to deal with it well. I m afraid you ve caught me on the hop I wasn t expecting your call until this afternoon. If we… … New idioms dictionary
catch someone napping — CATCH OFF GUARD, catch unawares, (take by) surprise, catch out, find unprepared; informal catch someone with their trousers/pants down; Brit. informal catch on the hop. → nap * * * catch someone napping (informal) 1. To detect someone in error… … Useful english dictionary
hop — I UK [hɒp] / US [hɑp] verb [intransitive] Word forms hop : present tense I/you/we/they hop he/she/it hops present participle hopping past tense hopped past participle hopped 1) to move forward by jumping on one foot The little girl was hopping… … English dictionary
catch — 1 verb past tense and past participle caught 1 STOP/TRAP SB (T) a) to stop someone after you have been chasing them and prevent them from escaping: You can t catch me! she yelled, running away across the field. | If the guerrillas catch you, they … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
catch — catch1 W1S1 [kætʃ] v past tense and past participle caught [ko:t US ko:t] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(take and hold)¦ 2¦(find/stop somebody)¦ 3¦(see somebody doing something)¦ 4¦(illness)¦ 5 catch somebody by surprise/catch somebody off guard 6 catch somebody… … Dictionary of contemporary English
catch — I UK [kætʃ] / US verb Word forms catch : present tense I/you/we/they catch he/she/it catches present participle catching past tense caught UK [kɔːt] / US [kɔt] past participle caught *** 1) [intransitive/transitive] to stop and hold something… … English dictionary
hop — hop1 [hɔp US ha:p] v past tense and past participle hopped present participle hopping ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(jump)¦ 2 3 4 hop a plane/bus/train etc 5 hop it! 6 hopping mad ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [: Old English; Origin: hoppian] … Dictionary of contemporary English
hop — 1 verb hopped, hopping 1 JUMP (I) to move by jumping on one foot: a child hopping up and down the stairs 2 (I) if a bird, an insect, or a small animal hops, it moves by making quick short jumps 3 (intransitive always + adv/prep) informal to get… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English