catch (one) flat-footed
To startle one; to come upon one unawares or unprepared. Usually used in the past tense. The security guard caught the thieves flat-footed. That essay question in the exam caught me completely flat-footed. Ugh, our defensemen were caught flat-footed, that's why the other team was able to score so easily.
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caught flat-footed
Caught unprepared, taken by surprise, as in The reporter's question caught the President flat-footed. This usage comes from one or another sport in which a player should be on his or her toes, ready to act. [c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
catch someone flat-footed
take someone by surprise or at a disadvantage. informal The opposite of flat-footed in this metaphorical sense is on your toes (see toe).
1998 Field Farming and forestry were both caught flat-footed when fashion changed.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
flat-footed, to be caught/catch
To surprise/be surprised; to be caught unprepared. This antonym to being on one’s toes is believed by some to come from baseball terminology (it was so defined in the linguistics journal American Speech in 1912). However, other authorities believe it comes from horse-racing, where it is said of a horse whose jockey is unprepared to start a race.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer