catch : Idioms & Phrases

Index

by-catch

  • noun unwanted marine creatures that are caught in the nets while fishing for another species
    bycatch.
    • thousands of dolphins and porpoises and whales are killed as part of the by-catch each year
WordNet

catch a glimpse

  • verb see something for a brief time
    get a look; catch a glimpse.
WordNet

catch a wink

  • verb take a siesta
    nap; catnap.
    • She naps everyday after lunch for an hour
WordNet

catch cold

  • verb come down with a cold
WordNet

catch crop

  • noun a crop that grows quickly (e.g. lettuce) and can be planted between two regular crops grown in successive seasons or between two rows of crops in the same season
WordNet

catch fire

  • verb start to burn or burst into flames
    ignite; take fire; combust; erupt; conflagrate.
    • Marsh gases ignited suddenly
    • The oily rags combusted spontaneously
WordNet

catch it

  • verb receive punishment; be scolded or reprimanded
    • I really caught it the other day!
WordNet

catch on

  • verb understand, usually after some initial difficulty
    get it; latch on; tumble; get wise; get onto; twig; cotton on.
    • She didn't know what her classmates were plotting but finally caught on
  • verb become popular
    • This fashion caught on in Paris
WordNet

catch one's breath

  • verb take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
    breathe; take a breather; rest.
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catch out

  • verb trap; especially in an error or in a reprehensible act
    find out.
    • He was caught out
    • She was found out when she tried to cash the stolen checks
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catch phrase

  • noun a phrase that has become a catchword
    catchphrase.
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catch sight

  • verb see something for a brief time
    get a look; catch a glimpse.
WordNet

catch some z's

  • verb be asleep
    slumber; kip; sleep; log Z's.
WordNet

catch up

  • verb reach the point where one should be after a delay
    • I caught up on my homework
  • verb learn belatedly; find out about something after it happened
    • I'm trying to catch up with the latest developments in molecular biology
WordNet

catch up with

  • verb catch up with and possibly overtake
    catch; overtake.
    • The Rolls Royce caught us near the exit ramp
  • verb make up work that was missed due to absence at a later point
    make up.
    • I have to make up a French exam
    • Can I catch up with the material or is it too late?
WordNet

catch-basin

Catch"-ba`sin noun
Definitions
  1. A cistern or vault at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer, to oatch bulky matters which would not pass readly throught the sewer. Knight.
Webster 1913

catch-meadow

Catch"-mead`ow noun
Definitions
  1. meadow irrigated by water from a spring or rivulet on the side of hill.
Webster 1913

caught up

  • adjective satellite having become involved involuntarily
    • caught up in the excitement of the crowd
    • caught up in the scandal
WordNet

cony-catch

Co"ny-catch transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To deceive; to cheat; to trick. Obs.
    Take heed, Signor Baptista, lest you be cony-catched in the this business. Shak.
Webster 1913

eye-catching

  • adjective satellite seizing the attention
    attention-getting.
    • eye-catching posters
WordNet

fair catch

  • noun (American football) a catch of a punt on the fly by a defensive player who has signalled that he will not run and so should not be tackled
WordNet

fly-catching

Fly"-catch`ing adjective
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) Having the habit of catching insects on the wing.
Webster 1913

Fly-catching warbler

  • (Zoöl.), any one of several species of warblers belonging to Setophaga, Sylvania, and allied genera having the bill hooked and notched at the tip, with strong rictal bristles at the base, as the hooded warbler (Sylvania mitrata), the black-capped warbler (S. pusilla), the Canadian warbler (S. Canadensis), and the American redstart (see Redstart).
Webster 1913

Glottal catch

  • noun a stop consonant articulated by releasing pressure at the glottis; as in the sudden onset of a vowel
    glottal stop; glottal plosive.
WordNet
  • an effect produced upon the breath or voice by a sudden opening or closing of the glotts. Sweet.
Webster 1913

safety catch

  • noun guard consisting of a locking device that prevents a weapon from being fired
    safety lock.
WordNet

shoestring catch

  • noun (baseball) a running catch made near the ground
WordNet

Tallow catch

  • a keech. See Keech. Obs.
Webster 1913

To catch a crab

  • (Naut.), a phrase used of a rower : (a) when he fails to raise his oar clear of the water ; (b) when he misses the water altogether in making a stroke.
Webster 1913

To catch a tartar

  • to lay hold of, or encounter, a person who proves too strong for the assailant. Colloq.
Webster 1913

To catch at

  • to attempt to seize; to be egger to get or use. "[To] catch at all opportunities of subverting the state." Addison.
Webster 1913

To catch fire

  • to become inflamed or ignited.
Webster 1913

to catch it

  • to get a scolding or beating; to suffer punishment. Colloq.
Webster 1913

To catch one's eye

  • to interrupt captiously while speaking. Colloq. "You catch me up so very short." Dickens.
  • to attract one's notice.
Webster 1913

To catch up

  • to snatch; to take up suddenly.
Webster 1913

To catch up with

  • to come up with; to overtake.
Webster 1913

To catch upon the hip, ∨ To have on the hip

  • to have or get the advantage of; a figure probably derived from wresting. Shak.
Webster 1913