catch some Z's
To take a nap, to go to sleep. (Because of the "z" sound resembling snoring.)
I want to hit the sack and catch some Z's.
catch some rays
To get tanned while sunbathing.
Tomorrow I'll go to the beach and try to catch some rays.
catch up
To take or pick up suddenly; grab (something).
She caught up the book from the table and ran out of the room.
To capture or trap (someone) in a situation; concern or interest very much.
Usually used in the passive with in.
Usually used in the passive with in.
The Smith family was caught up in the war in Europe and we did not see them again till it was over.
We were so caught up in the movie we forgot what time it was.
To go fast enough or do enough so as not to be behind; overtake; come even. Often used with to or with.
Johnny ran hard and tried to catch up to his friends.
Mary missed two weeks of school; she must work hard to catch up with her class.
If you are not equal to others, first you have to catch up with them before you can keep up with them.
To find out about or get proof to punish or arrest. Usually used with with.
A man told the police where the robbers were hiding, so the police finally caught up with them.
The student was absent from class so long that it took her a long time to catch up.
To result in something bad; bring punishment. Usually used with "with".
The boy's fighting caught up with him and he was expelled from school.
Smoking will catch up with you.
To finish; not lose or be behind. Used with "on" and often in the phrase "get caught up on".
Frank stayed up late to get caught up on his homework.
I have to catch up on my sleep.
We caught up on all the latest news when we got back to school and saw our friends again.
catch with one's pants down
To surprise someone in an embarrassing position or guilty act.
Застать кого-либо в затруднительной, смущающей ситуации или за совершением преступления.
They thought they could succeed in the robbery, but they got caught with their pants down.
When the weather turned hot in May, the drive-in restaurant was caught with its pants down, and ran out of ice cream before noon.
Our neighbours were caught interfering with their electricity metre - caught with their pants down!
Наших соседей поймали, когда они крутили счетчик электричества – с поличным!
catch-22
catch 22
A regulation or situation that is self-contradictory or that conflicts with another regulation.
From Joseph Heller's novel "Catch-22", set in World War II. In Heller's book it referred to the regulation that flight crews must report for duty unless excused for reasons of insanity, but that any one claiming such an excuse must, by definition, be sane.
From Joseph Heller's novel "Catch-22", set in World War II. In Heller's book it referred to the regulation that flight crews must report for duty unless excused for reasons of insanity, but that any one claiming such an excuse must, by definition, be sane.
Уловка 22 . Ситуация, в которой вы не можете сделать что-то одно, не делая другого и наоборот.
Government rules require workers to expose any wrongdoing in their office, but the Catch-22 prevents them from their doing so, because they are not allowed to disclose any information about their work.
I can't get a job without a work permit, and I can't get a work permit without a job. It's a catch 22 situation!
Я не могу найти место без разрешения на работу, но и разрешение на работу нельзя получить без места. Это палка о двух концах!
A paradoxical situation.
Парадоксальная ситуация.
The Catch-22 of job-hunting was that the factory wanted to hire only workers who had experience making computers but the only way to get the experience was by working at the computer factory.
catch-as-catch-can
In a free manner; in any way possible; in the best way you can. Using any means or method; unplanned; free.
On moving day everything is packed and we eat meals catch-as-catch-can.
Rip van Winkle seems to have led a catch-as-catch-can life.
Politics is rather a catch-as-catch-can business.
early bird catches the worm
early bird gets the worm
A person who gets up early in the morning has the best chance of succeeding; if you arrive early or are quicker, you get ahead of others. A proverb.
When Billy's father woke him up for school he said, "The early bird catches the worm."
Charles began looking for a summer job in January; he knows that the early bird gets the worm.
eye-catcher
Something that strongly attracts the eye.
That new girl in our class is a real eye-catcher.