to lie at the catch
Preserved but no longer current.
In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress Talkative says to Faithful, "You lie at the catch, I perceive." To which Faithful replies, "No, not I; I am only for setting things right." To lie at or on the catch is to lie in wait or to lay a trap to catch one.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to lie at the catch” mean?
In Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress Talkative says to Faithful, "You lie at the catch, I perceive." To which Faithful replies, "No, not I; I am only for setting things right." To lie at or on the catch is to lie in wait or to lay a trap to catch one.
Is “to lie at the catch” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.