A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

catch one’s breath • get one’s breath again
catch one’s breath —be affected by a sudden emotion such as
fear, excitement, etc.: To the rocketing bound of a good free
horse you catch your breath, thankfully, happily.
get one’s breath again —be relieved after exertion, excitement,
etc.: The work goes on until Friday night, and then the break
which gives one time to get one’s breath again.
catch one’s death • meet one’s death
catch one’s death —(coll.) catch a severe cold that may be
fatal (also: catch one’s death of cold): She had walked in the rain
seeking a refuge and “catching her death” instead.
– 67 –
catch one’s death

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Note:
The expression does not correlate in meaning with the
phrase catch someone dead—(coll., usually negat.) find a person
in an embarrassing position: Never driven anything but a car
but you wouldn’t catch me dead driving a minivan.
meet one’s death —die a violent death; die in a particular way:
Mr. Green met his death through the gas-tap being too loose.
catch someone cold • have someone cold
catch someone cold —(Sport) surprise one’s opponents when
they are not prepared for an attack: Northern, seeking their
eighth successive League win, were caught cold by Castleford.
have someone cold —(U.S. sl.) have a person in one’s power
or at one’s mercy: He’ll have to take whatever deal they offer
him, they’ve got him cold for the murder of Sedley.
catch someone on the wrong foot • put a foot
wrong
catch someone on the wrong foot—surprise a person when one
is not ready or expecting smth.: I’m afraid you rather caught
me on the wrong foot, asking for it at such short notice.
put a foot wrong —(usually negat.) make the smallest mistake;
make a blunder: He complained that if he put a foot wrong,
the manager was down on him at once.
See also: get off on the wrong foot / get out of bed with the
wrong foot foremost.