Why study idioms?

Understanding idioms is essential for language mastery, offering depth, cultural insight, enhanced communication, and an enjoyable language learning experience.

Here are 20 USEFUL idioms with the verb CATCH

catch a cold / catch the common cold

DEFINITION:

To become infected with a cold. When you have a cold, you may get a runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, or a mild fever.

EXAMPLES:

1. It's easy to catch the common cold in winter.
2. Despite wearing a mask, she managed to catch a cold from her colleague who was coughing all day.

catch the flu / catch influenza

DEFINITION:

To become infected by an influenza virus. If you catch the flu, you may get a fever, a sore throat, body aches, and sometimes you may throw up. It’s usually more serious than a cold. The word flu is a clipped word. It is clipped out of the word influenza.

EXAMPLES:

1. Despite getting a flu shot, she managed to catch influenza from her classmate.
2. He felt weak and had a high fever after catching the flu, so he had to stay in bed and rest.

catch pneumonia

DEFINITION:

To get an infection in the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi, leading to fluids in the air sacs of one’s lungs. It’s common to get a bad cough, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and a fever with pneumonia.

EXAMPLES:

1. His persistent cough worsened and eventually caused him to catch pneumonia.
2. After she caught pneumonia, her doctor gave her antibiotics.

catch COVID

DEFINITION:

To become infected with the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. If you catch COVID, you may get a fever, cough, have shortness of breath, lose your sense of taste or smell, or have body aches.

EXAMPLES:

1. Several students in the classroom caught COVID at the beginning of the school year. 
2. I experienced a mild fever and body aches after catching COVID and took about a week to fully recover.

catch a chill

DEFINITION:

To become ill or catch a cold from being exposed to cold weather or a draft.

EXAMPLES:

1. She forgot to wear her jacket outside, and as a result, she caught a chill and had to stay home from work.
2. It's important to bundle up during winter to avoid catching a chill and getting sick.

catch a ball

DEFINITION:

To successfully grab at a ball that has been thrown, tossed, or hit towards you, typically using your hands or specific sports-related equipment like a baseball glove.

EXAMPLES:

1. The outfielder made an impressive leap to catch the ball just before it would have gone over the fence.
2. The young child's eyes lit up with joy as he managed to catch the ball for the first time during a game of catch with his uncle.

catch a bus/ a train / a plane / a flight

DEFINITION:

To get on public transportation or an aircraft.

EXAMPLES:

1. Hurry up! We need to catch the bus, or we'll be late for the meeting.
2. Despite the traffic, they got to the airport on time and caught their flight.

catch (on) fire

DEFINITION:

To begin to burn.

EXAMPLES:

1. The lightning strike caused the trees in the forest to catch fire.
2. While cooking, he placed the oven mitt too close to the stove and it caught on fire.

catch a glimpse of / catch sight of

DEFINITION:

Both of these mean to briefly see or observe something or someone typically for a short moment or from a distance. Usually you can use one or the other, but catch a glimpse of is more often used for accidentally seeing someone or something while catch sight of is more often used for deliberately seeing someone or something.

EXAMPLES:

1. As we left our hotel, we caught a glimpse of the sunset before it disappeared behind the buildings.
2. After the concert, she caught sight of the band’s lead singer leaving the arena and getting into a limousine.

catch wind of

DEFINITION:

To become aware of or hear about something, often through rumors or gossip (this is usually more often used in the past simple tense or the present perfect tense).

EXAMPLES:

1. The personal trainer caught wind of the gym going out of business and immediately started looking for a new job. 
2. Have you caught wind of the latest gossip about our boss and her secretary? 

catch a thief

DEFINITION:

To apprehend or capture someone who is engaged in stealing or committing theft.

EXAMPLES:

1. With the help of surveillance cameras, the police were able to catch the thief responsible for a series of burglaries in the neighborhood.
2. Two teenagers on skateboards were able to catch the thief after he snatched the woman’s purse.

catch an animal

DEFINITION:

To capture an animal, to study, rescue, relocate, or contain it.

EXAMPLES:

1. The animal control officer was called to catch a stray dog that had been wandering in the neighborhood for several days.
2. The zookeepers worked with police officers to safely catch a leopard after it escaped from the zoo.

catch someone’s attention

DEFINITION:

To attract or engage someone's focus or interest.

EXAMPLES:

1. The loud crash in the living room caught my attention and I rushed in to see what happened.
2. She waved her hand frantically to catch the teacher's attention and ask a question about the assignment.

catch someone by surprise

DEFINITION:

To unexpectedly or suddenly surprise someone, often causing them to be unprepared for a situation or information.

EXAMPLES:

1. The sudden announcement of his resignation caught the entire company by surprise.
2. The unexpected plot twist in the movie caught the audience by surprise.

catch a whiff

DEFINITION:

To briefly detect or perceive a faint or slight scent or odor.

EXAMPLES:

1. While on vacation in Thailand, I caught a whiff of some durian. I didn’t buy any because I was afraid I wouldn’t like it.
2. When the wind shifted direction, we caught a whiff of a bad odor coming from a nearby dumpster.

someone didn’t catch something

DEFINITION:

Someone failed to understand, notice, or comprehend something that was said, presented, or communicated.

EXAMPLES:

1. During the lecture, he didn't catch the professor's explanation of the complex theory, so he asked for clarification after class.
2. He quickly skimmed through the document and didn't catch the important details in the fine print. This led to some misunderstandings later on.