Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase catch someone dead—(coll., usually negat.) find a person in an embarrassing position: Never driven anything but a car but you wouldn’t catch me dead driving a minivan. meet one’s death—die a violent death; die in a particular way: Mr. Green met his death through the gas-tap being too loose. catch someone cold • have someone cold catch someone cold—(Sport) surprise one’s opponents when they are not prepared for an attack: Northern, seeking their eighth successive League win, were caught cold by Castleford. have someone cold—(U.S. sl.) have a person in one’s power or at one’s mercy: He’ll have to take whatever deal they offer him, they’ve got him cold for the murder of Sedley. catch someone on the wrong foot • put a foot wrong catch someone on the wrong foot—surprise a person when one is not ready or expecting smth.: I’m afraid you rather caught me on the wrong foot , asking for it at such short notice. put a foot wrong —(usually negat.) make the smallest mistake; make a blunder: He complained that if he put a foot wrong , the manager was down on him at once. See also: get off on the wrong foot / get out of bed with the wrong foot foremost. catch someone up in something • catch someone up on something catch someone up in something—deeply involve a person in smth.; wholly occupy smb.’s attention: The accident caught us all up in the resultant confusion. catch someone up on something—(coll.) tell a person the news of smth.: Oh, please catch me up on what your family is doing. catch someone’s eye • catch someone’s look catch someone’s eye—attract a person’s attention: I tried to catch her eye , but she was too engrossed in the book to no- tice. catch someone’s look—notice smb.’s glance: Howard laughed then stopped as he caught her look of disapproval. catch up on someone • catch up with someone catch up on someone—1. overtake and overcome a person: The police caught up on the men just as they entered a dark archway. 2. have a marked effect on smb.: I think his past is beginning to catch up on him. 3. (coll.) learn the news of a person: I’ve had a visit from my friend John, and it was nice to catch up on him. catch up with someone—1. get level with a person when one has been left behind: Walk on ahead of me. I’ll catch up with you. 2. = catch up on someone 2: Jet lag caught up with Joe and he slept for fourteen hours. 3. reach the same stage as smb. after lagging behind: He’s working hard to catch up with the others. 4. make a person accountable for past deeds: Gronevelt felt that the FBI would catch up with them sooner or later. 5. (coll.) meet with smb. for a casual chat: “And what have you been up to?” “Nothing much. Catching up with a few people here.” catch up on something • catch up with something catch up on something—do unfinished work; do things that one has not had time to do until now: Confined to his bed for a whole week, Smith passed the time catching up on his read- ing. catch up with something—(also: catch up to something ) 1. overtake a bus, etc. by walking fast: Jane caught up with the bus that had almost left her behind. 2. keep pace with smth.: The fate of Africa depends upon economic advance catching up with political advance. cat’s lick • cat-lick cat’s lick—(UK sl.) a brief wash: After having a quick bite, I had a cat’s lick , that’s my short bath and headed off for the hideout. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the compound calf-lick—(also: cowlick) a curl of hair on the forehead which will not lie smoothly: I would imagine that there must be a hereditary factor to the calf-lick like there is to eyes. cat-lick—(UK sl., also: cat’lick) Catholic: The Cat-lick church has often changed its mind on things … often kicking and screaming while being dragged down that road of change. cat’s paw • pussyfoot cat’s paw—a person used as a tool by another to accomplish a purpose, etc.: The eldest son, John, was a cat’s-paw in the financial schemings of the second son, Charles. pussyfoot—1. a person who avoids committing himself; smb. who proceeds very cautiously: Modesty is not the same as sub- jection, and a well-bred lad does not need to be a pussyfoot . 2. a cool, fruity nonalcoholic cocktail with added egg yolk: Turned out a pussyfoot is a non-alcoholic concoction of a few fruit juices served chilled. cat’s whisker • cat’s whiskers cat’s whisker—(in old-fashioned crystal radios) a wire that makes contact with a semiconductor: Many of these receivers used the “cat’s whisker ” type of crystal diode for detection of a radio signal. cat’s whiskers—(coll.) the acme of excellence; a person or thing most highly approved of: My new secretary thinks she is the cat’s whiskers though she is no better than the last one. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase between you and me and the cat’s whiskers—said when telling smth. to a person that you want him to keep secret: The water was cool, white and pure … and we felt divine tak- ing bath in it. The location of the waterfall is between six of us and the cat’s whiskers . cause for something • cause of something cause for something—reason or motive for smth.: The grannies had no real cause for complaint of the furnishment of the tea table. cause of something—an event, person, or thing that makes smth. happen: It was not surprising to hear that hypertension was the cause of his death. chairman of the board • chairman of the boards chairman of the board—the leader of a corporation’s board of directors: He was Chairman of the Board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and remains a board member. chairman of the boards—(Hockey) a player who controls play along the boards: One of our sportsmen has been extended the ultimate compliment by the city of New York. The leg- endary “Chairman of the Boards ” flies out to the Big Apple on Sunday… chalk it up to someone • chalk one up for someone chalk it up to someone—(coll.) attribute smth. to or account for smth. by a person’s age, inexperience, etc.: I apologise for failing to recall what he said. Please chalk it up to me being an old guy and subject to memory failure. chalk one up for someone—(coll.) put smth. to a person’s credit: I give Cameron credit for what he is as a showman, but I won’t chalk one up for him for what he isn’t—and he’s not an artist. catch someone cold – 68 –