double take, do a

double take, do a idiom
Show a delayed reaction to an unusual remark or circumstance; also, look at something or someone again. For example, He did a double take when his ex-wife appeared at his wedding. [1930s]

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.

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