to catch it
3
8.3
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
recibir un castigo
- If you break the rules, you're going to catch it from the teacher.
Examples
-
We're not gonna catch it!
-
Not unless you want to catch it.
-
My point is, did Mack ever catch it from Dad on that one?
Fiction book (1995) -
"Now you'll catch it," she said in English.
Fiction book (1999) -
We're gonna catch it!
-
He knew he would catch it when his parents found out he had missed curfew.
-
Don't go out without permission, or you'll catch it when you get home.
Synonyms
203
2.7
Face blame or punishment for something you did wrong
113
8.2
To be punished or scolded for something you did
5
8.2
To get a lot of blame or punishment for a mistake
1
8.3
To get criticism or blame from others for something you did
Antonyms
How Punished
49
3.3
- Informal
1
7.9
- Informal
3
8.3
- Formal
24
6.1
7
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
catch + it
The verb 'catch' can carry a sense of 'receive' or 'get', so a learner who knows that sense might guess 'catch it' means to 'receive something'. However, the specific sense 'be punished or scolded' is an idiomatic/pragmatic extension where 'it' stands for unspecified punishment, which is not fully predictable from the parts and typically requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Catch it comes from the image of being grabbed or caught by a parent, teacher, or boss; they catch you and give the punishment, and the it stands for that punishment. So, to catch it means 'to be punished'.