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Glite Dictionary
to catch a Tartar

to catch a Tartar

9.9
To unexpectedly meet a very strong opponent
  • idiom
  • Archaic
translation icon : enfrentarse a un rival formidable
  • The defending champion finally caught a Tartar in the quarter-finals and was eliminated.

Examples

  • Negotiators knew they would catch a Tartar if they tried to push for more concessions.

  • Don't catch a Tartar by underestimating your opponent!

  • He thought the interview would be easy, but he soon realized he'd catch a Tartar in the panel chair.

  • He caught a Tartar during the debate.

  • He thought the interview would be easy, but he soon realized he'd catch a Tartar when he faced the tough panel chair.

  • The team believed they could easily win, but they caught a Tartar when they faced the defending champions.

  • If you challenge her in chess, you might catch a Tartar because she is a grandmaster.

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

How Challenging

to face Goliath
  • Informal
8.1
to catch a Tartar
  • Archaic
9.9
match
363 2.1

Surface Forms

catch a Tartar infinitive
catching a Tartar present participle
catches a Tartar third person singular
caught a Tartar past
caught a Tartar past participle

Morphology

catch + a + tartar

The expression relies on an idiomatic/historical reference to a 'Tartar' as a fierce or formidable person rather than a compositional meaning built from 'catch' + 'a' + 'tartar'. A typical B1 learner who knows the literal words would not reliably infer the figurative sense of unexpectedly encountering a formidable opponent, so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

Catch a Tartar may come from old stories about fierce soldiers called Tartars; if you catch a Tartar, you think you have captured someone but they turn out to be much stronger and hard to control. That's why the phrase means 'to meet a surprising and very difficult opponent'.