to catch hands - Glite Dictionary

Examples

If you disrespect her like that, you might catch hands.
He warned everyone at the party that they would catch hands if they started trouble.
After the argument escalated, both men were ready to catch hands.
He caught hands with a rival after school.
During recess, Jake decided to catch hands with his classmate over a game dispute.
If you continue to talk back, you might end up having to catch hands with someone.
At the party, two guests started to catch hands when an argument broke out.

Synonyms

to wrestle

vsto catch hands

123 1.8

To struggle physically by holding and trying to push someone or something down

describes joining a fight without focusing on holds or takedowns

to box

vsto catch hands

47 2.0

To fight another person using the fists, often as a sport

involves physical fighting but not only fist-based sport

to throw down

vsto catch hands

Informal

18 7.0

To start a fight or bold competition to show strength

means joining a physical confrontation without stressing bold challenge

to grapple

vsto catch hands

10 5.1

To grab and hold someone or something during a struggle

means getting into a physical fight but not specifically seizing holds

to drop the gloves

vsto catch hands

Informal

8.6

To prepare for a real fight or, informally, to stop fighting and start working together

means entering a fight rather than only signalling preparation

Antonyms

to stay out of it

56 3.8

To avoid getting involved in an argument or fight

How Physical

to brawl

9 4.4

to catch hands

Slang

9.9

to punch

455 1.4

shove

31 2.7

Surface Forms

catch hands infinitive

catching hands present participle

catches hands third person singular

caught hands past

caught hands past participle

Morphology

catch + hands

The slang meaning 'to become involved in a physical fight' is not predictably derived from 'catch' (to seize) and 'hands' (workers or the body-part); a B1 learner would likely interpret a literal sense (e.g., to grab hands) rather than infer 'fight'. This is a slangy, idiomatic/metaphorical shift (hands → fists/violence) that is not transparently compositional or cross-linguistically regular, so the expression is opaque to learners.

Etymology

Catch hands comes from the picture of the verb catch and the noun hands: it makes you think of grabbing or hitting with your hands, like throwing a punch. So it means 'to get into a physical fight'.