off guard

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Also, off one's guard. Not watchful, easily surprised. It is often put as catch (or be caught) off guard, meaning “take (or be taken) by surprise.” For example, The securities analyst was caught off guard by that financial report, or With any luck the boss will be off guard when I come in late. [Late 1600s] The antonym, on guard or on one's guard, meaning “watchful or prepared, especially to defend oneself,” was first recorded in 1577. For example, In this crowd we must be on guard against pickpockets, or I'm always on my guard when I'm asked how I voted.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

How to use off guard in a sentence

That brassy ploy had caught the Costa Ricans entirely off-guard and had knocked them off their stride.
Argentina Drops the Netherlands on Penalties in World Cup Semifinal|Tunku Varadarajan|July 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Republicans were caught off-guard all campaign long and their response was atrocious.
Win Women, Win the Midterms|Kristen Soltis Anderson|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And not in an interview, as was the case with Akin, who was caught off-guard, but in a prepared speech!
Why Women Do Not Love Mike Huckabee|Michael Tomasky|January 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The response to the ad though has caught the campaign off-guard.
Inside Carl Sciortino’s Viral Campaign Ad|Ben Jacobs|September 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Nicholas McCarthy, director of The Pact, was caught off-guard when he learned Casper Van Dien wanted to be in his movie.
What Happened to Big-Screen Hunk Casper Van Dien?|Ramin Setoodeh|July 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He hoped for a glimpse of the kangaroo-Gizl to see if he were as sincere off-guard as he had been during their interview.
And Then the Town Took Off|Richard Wilson
Stillman knew at once that her ill-temper had caught her off-guard and she was already trying to crawl slowly back into his favor.
The Blood Red Dawn|Charles Caldwell Dobie
Joy is a lady of the finest breeding, but she can be caught off-guard at times.
"And That's How It Was, Officer"|Ralph Sholto
In his mind was the conviction that we had pretended to be harmless animals so that we could catch him off-guard and kill him.
Cry from a Far Planet|Tom Godwin
I wouldn't trust myself with you one minute off-guard like that.
The Tinder-Box|Maria Thompson Daviess

off guard

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How to use off guard in a sentence