caught short
Found to be lacking something one needs, especially money, as in Can you pay the check? I seem to be caught short. This idiom uses short in the sense of “lacking money,” a usage dating from the early 1500s.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use caught short in a sentence
Executives at such companies vow never to get caught short again.
Apple Has $137 Billion in Cash, Shareholders Aren’t Pleased | Daniel Gross | February 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTHe caught short glimpses of another horse matching pace to the one that carried him.
The Time Traders | Andre NortonI have many a time sat on T Wharf and caught short, flat flounders with my line.
Summer | Dallas Lore SharpHer sensitive ears caught short, puffing breaths—then the click of a key in the lock.
The U.P. Trail | Zane GreyInstead of balls, they threw up and caught short burning torches.
Tour in England, Ireland, and France, in the years 1826, 1827, 1828 and 1829. | Hermann Pckler-Muskau
They're caught short, and we can squeeze them to our hearts' content.
The Market-Place | Harold Frederic
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