a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
catch at, to grasp at eagerly; accept readily: He caught at the chance to get free tickets.
42.
catch on,
a.
to become popular: That new song is beginning to catch on.
b.
to grasp mentally; understand: You'd think he'd catch on that he's boring us.
c.
New England. (in cooking) to scorch or burn slightly; sear: A pot roast is better if allowed to catch on.
43.
catch out, Chiefly British. to catch or discover (a person) in deceit or an error.
44.
catch up,
a.
to lift or snatch suddenly: Leaves were caught up in the wind.
b.
to bring or get up to date (often followed by on or with): to catch up on one's reading.
c.
to come up to or overtake (something or someone) (usually followed by with): to catch up with the leader in a race.
d.
to become involved or entangled with: caught up in the excitement of the crowd.
e.
to point out to (a person) minor errors, untruths, etc. (usually followed by on): We caught the teacher up on a number of factual details.
f.
Falconry. to capture for further training (a hawk that has been flown at hack).
g.
South Midland and Southern U.S.to harness (a horse or mule).
Idioms
45.
catch a crab, (in rowing) to bungle a stroke by failing to get the oar into the water at the beginning or by failing to withdraw it properly at the end.
46.
catch a turn, Nautical. to wind a rope around a bitt, capstan, etc., for one full turn.
47.
catch it, Informal. to receive a reprimand or punishment: He'll catch it from his mother for tearing his good trousers again.
Origin: 1175–1225; Middle English cacchen to chase, capture < Old North French cachier < Vulgar Latin *captiāre, for Latin captāre to grasp at, seek out, try to catch, frequentative of capere to take
Related forms
catch·a·ble, adjective
out·catch, verb (used with object), out·caught, out·catch·ing.
un·catch·a·ble, adjective
Synonyms 1. apprehend, arrest. 7.Catch,clutch,grasp,seize imply taking hold suddenly of something. To catch may be to reach after and get: He caught my hand. To clutch is to take firm hold of (often out of fear or nervousness), and retain: The child clutched her mother's hand. To grasp also suggests both getting and keeping hold of, with a connotation of eagerness and alertness, rather than fear (literally or figuratively): to grasp someone's hand in welcome; to grasp an idea. To seize implies the use of force or energy in taking hold of suddenly (literally or figuratively): to seize a criminal; to seize an opportunity. 17. enchant, fascinate, win. 28. capture, apprehension, arrest. 29. ratchet, bolt.
c.1200, from Anglo-Fr. cachier "catch, capture" (animals), from V.L. *captiare "try to seize, chase," freq. of L. capere "to take, hold" (see capable). Sense shifted from original meaning of "chase, hunt." Past tense form caught is rare instance of Eng. strong verb with
Fr. origin, probably infl. by latch, the cognate native verb, which this word replaced. Noun meaning "that which is caught or worth catching" (especially of spouses) is from 1590s. To catch on "apprehend" is 1884, Amer.Eng. colloquial. To catch (someone's) eye is first attested 1813, in Jane Austen. Catch as catch can first attested late 14c.
tv. to see or listen to something. (More specific than the colloquial sense, to manage to hear something.) : Did you catch that radio program about cancer last night?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
catch at
Snatch, grasp, as in The beggars kept catching at their coats. [c. 1600] Also see grasp at straws.