caught with pants down
- embarrassedSelf-consciously uncomfortable
- exposedOut in open
- vulnerableOpen to attack
- bustedApprehended or broken
- surprisedCaught unawares
awkward · shame · red-handed · unprepared · caught · naked · compromising · humiliated · discovered · flustered · scandal · cheating · affair · mortified · trousers · undressed · guilty · sneaky
- clothing idiomsfit like a glove, dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, wear the pants, at the drop of a hat
- unreadyunprepared, ill-prepared, ill-equipped, unready, not ready
preparedness
caught with pants downon guard
Alert and watchful
locked and loaded · battle-ready · forewarned · primed · anticipated
exposure/concealment
caught with pants downhidden in plain sight
Visible yet unseen
got away with it · swept under the rug · undetected · flew under the radar · above suspicion
agency/control
caught with pants downin the driver's seat
Having control or authority
holding all the cards · in control · one step ahead · calling the shots · turned the tables