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[catch off guard]{v. phr.} To challenge or confront a person at a time of lack of preparedness or sufficient care. •/The suspect was caught off guard by the detective and confessed where he had hidden the stolen car./

[catch on]{v.}, {informal} 1. To understand; learn about. — Often used with "to". •/You’ll catch on to the job after you’ve been here awhile./ •/Don’t play any tricks on Joe. When he catches on, he will beat you./ 2. To become popular; be done or used by many people. •/The song caught on and was sung and played everywhere./ 3. To be hired; get a job. •/The ball player caught on with a big league team last year./

[catch one’s breath]{v. phr.} 1. To breathe in suddenly with fear or surprise. •/The beauty of the scene made him catch his breath./ Compare: TAKE ONE’S BREATH AWAY. 2a. To rest and get back your normal breathing, as after running. •/After running to the bus stop, we sat down to catch our breath./ 2b. To relax for a moment after any work. •/After the day’s work we sat down over coffee to catch our breath./

[catch one’s death of] or [take one’s death of] {v. phr.}, {informal} To become very ill with (a cold, pneumonia, flu). •/Johnny fell in the icy water and almost took his death of cold./ Sometimes used in the short form "catch your death." •/"Johnny! Come right in here and put your coat and hat on. You’ll catch your death!"/

[catch one’s eye]{v. phr.} To attract your attention. •/I caught his eye as he moved through the crowd, and waved at him to come over./ •/The dress in the window caught her eye when she passed the store./

[catch red-handed]{v. phr.} /To apprehend a person during the act of committing an illicit or criminal act./ •/Al was caught red-handed at the local store when he was trying to walk out with a new camera he had not paid for./

[catch sight of]{v. phr.} To see suddenly or unexpectedly. •/Allan caught sight of a kingbird in a maple tree./ Contrast: LOSE SIGHT OF.

[catch some rays]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To get tanned while sunbathing. •/Tomorrow I’ll go to the beach and try to catch some rays./

[catch some Z’s]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To take a nap, to go to sleep. (Because of the "z" sound resembling snoring.) •/I want to hit the sack and catch some Z’s./

[catch-22]{n.}, {informal} From Joseph Heller’s novel "Catch-22", set in World War II. 1. A regulation or situation that is self-contradictory or that conflicts with another regulation. In Heller’s book it referred to the regulation that flight crews must report for duty unless excused for reasons of insanity, but that any one claiming such an excuse must, by definition, be sane. •/Government rules require workers to expose any wrongdoing in their office, but the Catch-22 prevents them from their doing so, because they are not allowed to disclose any information about their work./ 2. A paradoxical situation. •/The Catch-22 of job-hunting was that the factory wanted to hire only workers who had experience making computers but the only way to get the experience was by working at the computer factory./