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
DenİZ	-	Turkish
Aias	ie-ahs (Ancient Greek)	Greek Mythology
GyŐZŐ	DYUU-zuu	Hungarian
Barth	[ba:θ]
Terenzio	-	Italian
Hildr&Aelig;D	-	Anglo-Saxon