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caught with one's pants down, be

caught with one's pants down, be idiom

Be surprised in an embarrassing or guilty posture, as in We spent a lot of time preparing for the inspection; we didn't want to get caught with our pants down. This phrase presumably alludes to someone's pants being lowered to attend to bathroom needs but is not considered particularly vulgar. It is similar to off guard and, if wrongdoing is discovered, catch red-handed. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

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.