to caught off guard
29
4.1
- idiom
:
pillar desprevenido
- I was caught off guard when Stephen Colbert asked me a profound question.
But it was it caught Stalin off guard.
- But it was it caught Stalin off guard.
- No you don't, and you may be caught off guard.
- So I was really, really caught off guard.
- And the NRA was kind of caught off guard and Rocky Mountain Gun Owners made huge headway.
- I think NVIDIA just caught everybody off guard and just shook the world up.
- So when North Korea overruns South Korea, basically the US is sort of caught off guard.
- And they're caught off guard by they're caught off guard by what we have here.
- So don't be caught off guard by how off guard you're going to feel, right?
- And like when I'm caught off guard and I turn like really bright red.
Examples
-
I smile, caught off-guard at the blunt question and the implication its tone carries.
Fiction book (2001) -
Well, I was caught a little off guard.
-
So his recent request really caught me off guard to say the least.
-
That spring, conservative governments have been caught off guard by the speed of events.
-
The simplicity of his question caught me off guard; its effect shocked me even more.
Blog text (4) -
I didn't expect him to be happy, but his reaction caught me off guard.
Fiction book (2002) -
I think NVIDIA just caught everybody off guard and just shook the world up.
-
I was not prepared and I was very much caught off guard and I was terrified because I had an incredible career happening for me on the upswing.
-
Several other bodyguards are watching television, caught off guard by Vitti's sudden entrance.
Fiction book (2002) -
U.S. intelligence agencies were largely caught off guard by the Russian invasion.
Synonyms
543
2.1
Feeling surprised and upset because something bad or unexpected happens
357
1.0
Feeling sudden wonder when something unexpected happens
138
1.0
Very surprised in a way that shows wonder
51
4.2
Not ready or paying attention when something happens
29
3.0
Too shocked to move or think clearly
21
2.7
Feeling very surprised by something unexpected or hard to believe
9
6.7
Very surprised and unable to speak
5
7.0
Very surprised and unable to speak or move
3
4.9
Not ready or alert when something surprises you
3
8.9
Very surprised and confused so you do not know what to say or do
1
6.5
Not showing surprise or worry when something unexpected happens
1
6.9
Feeling confused and uneasy because something surprised you
1
7.0
Unable to think or react after a sudden shock
1
8.6
Very surprised and unable to speak
Not ready and not paying attention when something surprises you
Not paying attention and not ready for danger or surprise
Not paying attention and not ready for surprise or danger
Surprised and not ready to deal with a sudden problem
Feeling sudden surprise and often jumping
Very surprised by something you did not expect
Feeling very surprised and unable to speak or move
Antonyms
How Surprised
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'caught' (taken) + 'off guard' (not on guard/not prepared) yields being surprised or unprepared. This compositional logic is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The idiom caught off guard may come from old guards watching a place: if a guard was off guard (not watching), an enemy could catch them by surprise. So, being caught off guard means 'surprised' and not ready.