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
catch someone napping — the teacher had warned us to be ever prepared, but the unannounced test caught most of us napping Syn: catch off guard, catch unawares, surprise, take by surprise, catch out, find unprepared; informal catch someone with their pants down … Thesaurus of popular words
take someone unawares — catch/take/someone unawares phrase to surprise someone, often making them feel confused or embarrassed Burchill’s shot caught the goalkeeper completely unawares. Thesaurus: to make someone feel shocked or surprisedsynonym Main entry: unawares … Useful english dictionary
throw (or catch) someone off balance — make someone unsteady or catch someone unawares. → balance … English new terms dictionary
catch — [kach, kech] vt. caught, catching [ME cacchen < Anglo Fr cachier < VL * captiare < L captare, to seize < pp. of capere, to take hold: see HAVE] 1. to seize and hold, as after a chase; capture 2. to seize or take by or as by a trap,… … English World 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
unawares — unaware, unawares 1. The adjective unaware is used predicatively (i.e. after a verb) and is followed either by of or by a that clause: • She still seemed unaware of the peril that she was in M. Lide, 1991 • Quite unaware that he had a month s… … Modern English usage
unawares — un|a|wares [ ,ʌnə werz ] adverb catch/take someone unawares to surprise someone, often making them feel confused or embarrassed: The double steal caught the pitcher completely unawares … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
unawares — UK [ˌʌnəˈweə(r)z] / US [ˌʌnəˈwerz] adverb catch/take someone unawares to surprise someone, often making them feel confused or embarrassed Burchill s shot caught the goalkeeper completely unawares … English dictionary