Communication
catch someone off guard
surprise someone
To catch someone off guard means to surprise them when they are not ready for it.
Hear it in real life
Why did you go quiet in the meeting?
The question caught me off guard.
Her direct question caught me off guard.
The mistake everyone makes
Not: The question caught me out of guard.
Say: The question caught me off guard.
The fixed phrase is "catch someone off guard," with "off," not "out of."
Build it
How it fits in a sentence.
catch someone off guard; caught someone off guard; be caught off guard
Your turn: say it out loud
Her direct question caught me off guard.
Say it out loud two or three times, until it feels like yours.
catch someone off guard
surprise someone
“Her direct question caught me off guard.”
heytardy
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