catch someone off guard
Meaning: To surprise someone who is not prepared.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “The question about his salary caught him off guard.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From fencing and boxing, where "guard" is the defensive position. The phrase is common from the 19th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Italian: alla sprovvista — literally: at the unprepared
More idioms — Daily Life
- all at once — Suddenly, with no warning.
- do more harm than good — To make matters worse while trying to help.
- go through the motions — To do something without care or real effort.
- mark my words — Remember what I am telling you; it will turn out to be true.
- give someone the runaround — To put someone off with excuses instead of a straight answer.
- pin the blame on someone — To make someone take responsibility for a fault, often unfairly.
More English idioms
- drag one's feet — To delay deliberately.
- be tone-deaf — To be unable to tell musical notes apart; also, to have no sense of how others feel.
- throw dust in someone's eyes — To mislead someone by distracting them.
- when pigs fly — Never.
- lead someone up the garden path — To deceive someone, keeping them hopeful along the way.
- packed like sardines — Crowded very tightly together.
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