throw for a loop
Catch off guard
To throw someone for a loop is to surprise or bewilder them, often by disrupting their expectations or composure: The news really threw me for a loop.
The image suggests being knocked off a stable path into disorienting motion.
Also appears as knock for a loop.
- abashCause acute discomfort
- confuseCause mental disorientation
- discomfitCause unease or embarrassment
- blindsideSurprise with unexpected force
- disconcertDisturb composure or poise
catch off guard · flabbergast · curveball · come out of nowhere · chagrin · disorient · consternation · take aback · bewilderment · knock sideways · startle · shake up · shock · fluster · rattle someone's cage · astonishment · sucker punch · perplexity