caught short
Found without enough
Caught short means found unprepared or lacking something needed.
You might be caught short without cash when a store doesn't accept cards, or caught short of inventory during unexpected demand.
In British usage, caught short specifically means needing to urinate or defecate urgently when no toilet is available: I was caught short on the motorway.
Facility with toilets
- bathroomRoom for hygiene
- toiletWaste disposal fixture
- bladderOrgan holding urine
- desperateDriven by urgent need
bursting · urgent · inconvenient · discomfort · embarrassment · necessity · predicament · public facilities
Lacking readiness beforehand
- off-guardNot anticipating trouble
- blindsidedSurprised by unforeseen impact
- ambushedAttacked from concealment
- flat-footedHaving no arch
disadvantaged · outmaneuvered · underfunded · scrambling · improvising · makeshift · last-minute · stopgap
Not anticipated beforehand
- startledAbruptly surprised or alarmed
- taken abackShocked into momentary confusion
- astonishedGreatly shocked, overwhelmed
- blindsidedSurprised by unforeseen impact
shocked · dumbfounded · flabbergasted · gobsmacked · unprepared · off-guard · jolted · stunned
restroom
Facility with toilets
desperate · bursting · urgent · inconvenient · discomfort · embarrassment · necessity · predicament · public facilities · inopportune
unprepared
Lacking readiness beforehand
- off-guardNot anticipating trouble
- blindsidedSurprised by unforeseen impact
- ambushedAttacked from concealment
flat-footed · disadvantaged · outmaneuvered · underfunded · scrambling · improvising · makeshift · last-minute · stopgap · contingency
unexpected
Not anticipated beforehand
- startledAbruptly surprised or alarmed
- taken abackShocked into momentary confusion
- astonishedGreatly shocked, overwhelmed
blindsided · shocked · dumbfounded · flabbergasted · gobsmacked · unprepared · off-guard · jolted · stunned · disbelief
cash-strapped
Lacking available money
- brokeLacking any funds
- insufficient fundsLacking required money
- overdrawnBeyond account funds
shortfall · deficit · liquidity · undercapitalized · squeezed · pinched · strapped · tight · borrowing · loan
- unreadyunprepared, ill-prepared, ill-equipped, unready, not ready
caught shortready
Suitable for use now
well-equipped · prepared · all set · forearmed · braced
caught shortoverstocked
Holding excessive inventory
provisioned · topped up · abundant · loaded up · replenished
short, catching, caught, catches, catcher, catchers, recatch