catch somebody flat-footed
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcatch somebody flat-footedcatch somebody flat-footedAmerican EnglishCATCH to surprise someone so that they cannot do something in the way they ought to SYN catch somebody off guard The president’s announcement seemed to catch Democrats flat-footed. → flat-footedExamples from the Corpuscatch somebody flat-footed• The recent recession caught managers flat-footed and unprepared.