Idiom: catch someone off guard / caught off guard

 

"Off guard"


Meaning

  • If you catch someone off-guard, you are surprising them by doing or saying something unexpected.
  • If someone is caught off-guard, they are not expecting a surprise or danger that suddenly occurs.

The phrase to catch someone off guard means to surprise someone in a way he or she was not expecting. It can be used in positive, negative, and neutral contexts. It is unclear when this idiom was first used. A similar English idiom, to catch someone by surprise, has the same meaning.

Synonyms: take by surprise, startle, catch unaware, shocked


Example Sentences

  • The question caught her completely off guard.
  • The news caught her completely off guard – she didn't know what to say.
  • My mom was caught off guard when my 15-year-old brother announced his girlfriend was pregnant.
  • When my boss told me he was raising my salary, he really caught me off guard.
  • I hope I didn't catch you off guard when I arrived without calling.
  • I've prepared answers to every question anyone might think of asking because I hate it when the audience catches me off guard.
  • We were all caught off guard when the teacher told us we were having a pop quiz.
  • You caught me off guard last night when you said you were moving to the West Coast.  I'll really miss you when you move.
  • Here are some questions for you to review so you won't be caught off guard at the interview.
  • Make these plans ahead of time, so that you aren't caught off guard at the last minute.

  • Jane was caught off guard when her husband sent her a dozen roses while she was at work for no apparent reason.

  • He was caught off guard when he heard that his best friend was involved in a tragic car accident. 
  • The news of his death really caught me off guard.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Idiom/Phrase: "It's on the tip of my tongue"

Image
  "It's on the tip of my tongue" Meaning If something that you want to say is on the tip of your tongue, you think you are sure you know it such as a word, an answer, or a name, but that you cannot remember it at the moment. Often, when you have a word on the tip of your tongue, you can remember what letter it starts with, or what sound it ends Example Dialogs Scene 1: Two friends are talking ... Friend 1: What was the name of that mystery movie we saw last year? I can't quite remember the name.  Friend 2: Oh yeah.  It was a really good movie.  The name is on the tip of my tongue.  Friend 1: It was a strange name.  Give me a minute and I think I can recall it. Scene 2: Two colleagues are talking ... Colleague 1: Do you remember the name of that software we saw demonstrated at last year's trade show?  Colleague 2:  The one that was supposed to amalgamate all customer service help tickets?  Colleague 1:  Yes, that one. What was th...
Read more

Idiom: Behind bars

Image
  "Behind bars" Meaning The idiom 'behind bars'  means in jail or prison. If you say that someone is behind bars, you mean that they are in prison. This idiom is often used as the phrase ‘put someone behind bars.’ Related words:  in jail or prison , incarcerate, imprison, lock up Origin The idiom “ behind bars ” has been in use since the early 18th century. The word “bars” in this idiom refers to the iron bars conventionally used to confine convicted criminals in jails, prisons, or cells. Example Sentences He has spent most of his life behind bars. If you keep hanging around with the wrong crowd, you’ll end up behind bars. Until the court hearing, they will remain behind bars. Fisher was behind bars last night, charged with attempted murder. Nearly 5,000 people a year are put behind bars over motoring penalties. I heard Mike's uncle is behind bars again. I wonder what he did this time! Sir, I'm afraid your son has been put behind bars on a charge of...
Read more

Idiom: (It's) the least I (you) can/could do

Image
  "It's the least I can do." Meaning Something you should do A polite answer to someone who thanks you (and you feel or wish you could do more) A common answer to being thanked for doing something is "It's the least I could do," which is basically synonymous with "It was nothing". You use expressions like 'that's the least that I can do' to mean that you are very willing to do it, or to acknowledge someone's thanks. Example Dialogs A: "Thanks for taking me to the bus stop."  B: "You're welcome. It's the least I could do now that I have a car." A: "Thank you so much for the cookies!"  B: "It's the least we can do to repay you for looking after our pets while we were away." A:   "Thanks for cleaning up."  B:   " It's the least I can do , seeing as I'm staying here rent-free." Example Sentences If your mother cooks a special dinner the least you can d...
Read more