caught flat-footed

Caught unprepared, taken by surprise, as in The reporter's question caught the President flat-footed. This usage comes from one or another sport in which a player should be on his or her toes, ready to act. [c. 1900]

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Rhode	-	Ancient Greek, Biblical Greek, Biblical Latin
Phaedrus	-	Ancient Greek (Latinized)
Shimshon	-	Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Patricija	-	Slovene, Croatian
Gussie	GUS-ee	English
Nojus	-	Lithuanian