definitions

caught flat-footed

Caught unprepared, taken by surprise, as in The reporter's question caught the President flat-footed. This usage comes from one or another sport in which a player should be on his or her toes, ready to act. [c. 1900]

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Nearby words

caudine forks, caudle, caudle cup, caught, caught dead, wouldn't be, caught flat-footed, caught in the middle, caught short, caught with one's pants down, be, caul, cauld
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.