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3. catch on the hop

catch on the hop

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catch somebody on the hop

if you catch someone on the hop, you do something when they are not ready for it and may not be able to deal with it well I'm afraid you've caught me on the hop - I wasn't expecting your call until this afternoon. If we attack at the very start of the game, we may just catch their defenders on the hop.

See also: catch, hop, on