taken aback

Cliché surprised and confused. When Mary told me the news, I was taken aback for a moment. When I told my parents I was married, they were completely taken aback.

taken aback

confused or surprised by something unexpected Company executives have been taken aback by the criticism. I asked him directly if he was looking for someone with my skills, and I think he was kind of taken aback.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of aback (backward), which is not used in modern English

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Abelone	-	Danish
Virgilijus	-	Lithuanian
Nima (2)	-	Persian
Brunihild	-	Ancient Germanic
Darwin	['da:win]
Tom	[tɔm]