catch at

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Snatch, grasp, as in The beggars kept catching at their coats. [c. 1600] Also see grasp at straws.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

Words nearby catch at

They all immediately dashed out to their car to catch the bad guys.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“The government just wanted to catch the big fish [in the Juarez cartel] and they ignored everything in between,” Lozoya said.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
From a lyrical standpoint, there are precious few that can catch Kendrick.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With Rick, I think the culture just lags behind great artists much of the time, and it takes time for it to catch up.
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal Exchange|Marlow Stern|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Phone lines would catch fire from the velocity and ferocity of his words.
David Garth, the Consultant Who Talked Up to Voters|Jeff Greenfield|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tressan was monstrous ill-at-ease, and his face lost a good deal of its habitual plethora of colour.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
While you were admiring the long roll of the wave, a sudden spray would be dashed over you, and make you catch your breath!
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
If I could catch Laura's eye—but I suppose it would hardly be decent to go just yet.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 107, November 3, 1894|Various
Then Squinty would toss the apple up in the air, off his nose, and catch it as it came down.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
A fellow rudely clad—a hybrid between man-at-arms and lackey—lounged on a musket to confront them in the gateway.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini