catch a Tartar

Idioms  

1. Seek out something or someone that turns out to be unexpectedly unpleasant or formidable, as in Now that she finally agreed to meet with you, you just might find that you've caught a Tartar. In this term, Tartar signifies a difficult or sometimes violent individual, referring to Turkic and Mongolian invaders of Asia in the Middle Ages. [Mid-1600s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catch a Tartar

Deserters said that Lévis would assault the town; and the soldiers replied: "Let him come on; he will catch a Tartar."

From Montcalm and Wolfe by Francis Parkman

You know there's an old saying that if you find a Russian you catch a Tartar . . . or something like that.

From Hermione's Group of Thinkers by Don Marquis

To catch a Tartar; to attack one of superior strength or abilities.

From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose

But even the best of his men were pretty well worn out when they did at last catch a Tartar in the shape of the enemy's rearguard.

From The Long White Cloud by William Pember Reeves

"I am afraid some of them are so easily suited that they catch a Tartar sometimes," said Frank, whose feelings were roused at hearing this rude speech.

From Tempest and Sunshine by Mary Jane Holmes

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