to catch (someone) napping
- idiom
:
sorprender a alguien desprevenido
- I managed to catch him napping on the couch when I got home from work.
Examples
-
I had been caught napping.
Fiction book (1992) -
One day I'll catch him napping.
-
Well, I said I'd send you home if I caught you napping again, but a boy who knows all about electricity...
-
John Saunders, what did I tell you I would do if I caught you napping again?
-
During the exam, the teacher caught the student catching her napping and quickly moved to wake her up.
-
If you don't stay alert, you'll be caught napping when the boss asks for updates.
Synonyms
15
4.0
To surprise someone so they are not ready to react
Antonyms
How Unprepared
752
2.0
130
5.5
15
4.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts 'catch' (to find/seize) and 'napping' (sleeping/unaware) transparently combine to the idea of finding someone unprepared or off guard, so a learner who knows the words can often infer the intended meaning. However, the phrase uses a metaphorical extension (not necessarily literal sleeping) and requires pragmatic/contextual inference, so the relation is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Catch someone napping comes from the clear picture of finding a person asleep: to catch someone while they are napping and not paying attention. So, it means 'to find someone off guard or not ready'.