catches out
Reveals someone's deception
To catch someone out is to expose them in an error, lie, or moment of ignorance—to reveal that they don't know something or have done something wrong: The reporter caught him out with a question about the policy details.
British usage favors this phrasing more than American, where catch alone often suffices.
- mistakeWrong action or decision
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
- trapDevice for catching animals
- snareDevice for catching prey
- blameAssign responsibility for wrongdoing
oversight · slip-up · blunder · challenge · ambush · smoking gun · discrepancy · unmasking · gotcha · lie detector · white lie · cover story · inconsistency · quiz · confrontation · sharp eye · expose · scrutiny