catch somebody unawares

No one, it seemed, wanted to be caught unawares by some new development.

She didn't want to be caught unawares when her husband returned.

It wouldn't do to be caught unawares by some huge fish before I was quite ready.

He would not make the mistake of being caught unawares again.

Board members said they were caught unawares by the size of the deficit.

We all sat tight, along with everyone else caught unawares by this turn of events.

I was caught completely unawares by the knock on the door.

He wasn't going to get caught unawares this trip, anyway.

But the team had been caught unawares, their information unreliable.

The Opposition were caught unawares by the government's sudden election call.