caught short

Found to be lacking something one needs, especially money, as in Can you pay the check? I seem to be caught short. This idiom uses short in the sense of “lacking money,” a usage dating from the early 1500s.

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Example Sentences

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Family friend Olive Brown says: "Every December I do have a wee sad moment, thinking he's not here. All that potential, enthusiasm and ability got caught short."

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"If you aren't aware of that, you could be caught short without the right gear," she said.

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We all get caught short sometimes, and for pregnant women, parents with children and people with certain medical conditions, it can be pretty often.

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She set up the popular TikTok account Loos of London, highlighting places for when you're caught short.

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If Bass and other leaders want to make up for being clearly caught short, they need to offer more, and clearer, information.

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caught in the middle caul

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