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
Iezekiel	-	Biblical Greek
Tuathal	-	Irish (Rare)
Shelley	SHEL-ee	English
Astley	['æsli]
Eumelia	-	Ancient Greek
Tanya	TAHN-yə (English), TAN-yə (English)	Russian, English