Caught with your pants down

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Meaning

Caught unprepared or in an embarrassing act, exposed at a vulnerable moment with no chance to cover up-literal or not.

Origin

From 20th-century America, likely tied to bawdy humor-someone caught mid-undress in a compromising spot. A 1920s vaudeville skit popularized it, and by the 1930s, it was slang for any surprise exposure, as in a 1935 paper on a raided speakeasy. It reflects a Roaring Twenties taste for risqué laughs, growing from bedroom farce to a broad metaphor for being nabbed off-guard, pants or not.

Variants

  • Pants down

Usage Examples

  • He was caught with his pants down when the boss walked in.
  • The team got caught with their pants down; no backup plan.
  • She caught him with his pants down, sneaking a cookie.

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