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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

catch a Tartar en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (archaic, colloquial) To discover someone is much stronger, much more dangerous, or much more violent than they appeared at first, especially after laying hands on them
    • Now thou hast got me for a Tartar, To make m 'gainst my will take quarter. 1674, Samuel Butler, Hudibras, §1.3.175:
    • What a Tartar have I caught! 1680, John Dryden, Kind Keeper, §5.1.62:
    • Tell him, if he try, he may catch a Tartar. 1720, Daniel Defoe, Life of Captain Singleton, page 281:
  2. (obsolete, qualifier:thieves' cant) To fail in attempt to rob someone who turns out to be a stronger robber.
  3. (archaic, colloquial, figuratively) To discover someone who cannot be controlled or disposed of more generally.
    • You must give up flirting, my boy, or if I mistake not, you'll find you've caught a Tartar. 1897, Florence Marryat, chapter XIV, in The Blood of the Vampire:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
catches a Tartar Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
catching a Tartar Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
caught a Tartar Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
caught a Tartar Tense=Past lexicographic

Synonyms

get someone for a Tartar