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
SeyfettİN	-	Turkish
Sappho	SAF-o (English)	Ancient Greek
Petia	-	Russian, Bulgarian
Presley	PRES-lee	English
Hills	[hilz]
Iantha	-	Various