catch (someone) flat-footed

To startle someone; to come upon someone unawares and/or when he or she is unprepared. Usually used in the past tense. The security guard caught the thieves flat-footed. That essay question in the exam caught me completely flat-footed.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Uschi	-	German
Ilie	-	Romanian
Khasan	-	Chechen, Ossetian, Circassian, Ingush, Tatar, Bashkir
Ermenegilde	-	French
Mahli	MAH-lie (English), MAY-lie (English)	Biblical
WacŁAw	VAHTS-wahf	Polish