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3. be caught on the hop

be caught on the hop

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be caught on the hop

To be caught unawares or in a state of unpreparedness. Please forgive my distracted attention—I'm afraid I was caught on the hop by your sudden arrival. Terry hadn't prepared anything to say at the reception, so he was caught on the hop a bit when they asked me to say a few words.

See also: caught, hop, on