Phrase guide

caught with one's pants down

adj · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

adj

Meaning 1

Caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Presumably engaged in some private or intimate activity. Pants may refer to either trousers or underpants.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: housut kintuissa — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Greek: ξεβράκωτος στ’ αγγούρια (xevrákotos st’ angoúria) — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Indonesian: tertangkap basah — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Polish: złapany na gorącym uczynku — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Russian: заста́ть враспло́х (zastátʹ vrasplóx) — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Spanish: en paños menores — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Spanish: pillado con el culo al aire — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Swedish: tagen på sängen — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation
  • Swedish: med byxorna nere — caught off guard, unprepared, or in an embarrassing situation