Every now and then, my brother will leave me a phone message with his musings on language: a word he likes or a phrase he hates. The latest message from him was about the phrase “catch-as-catch-can.” This phrase got the seal of disapproval from him, as he told me that he heard it a lot at job sites. I thought I’d look into this idiom a little further to see why it might irk him.
According to Merriam-Webster, “catch-as-catch-can” means “using any available means or method”; it is synonymous with haphazard or scattered and indicates lack of foresight. As someone who has to carefully plan his projects and how they fit in with work other people are doing, I see how this attitude might get my brother’s boxers in a bunch.
But there’s another arena in which “catch-as-catch-can” is used, and I think this will make my brother laugh. Here is the Encyclopaedia Britannica definition of catch-as-catch-can wrestling:
“…basic wrestling style in which nearly all holds and tactics are permitted in both upright and ground wrestling. Rules usually forbid only actions that may injure an opponent, such as strangling, kicking, gouging, and hitting with a closed fist. The object is to force the opponent into a position in which both shoulders touch the ground at the same time. Formerly known as the Lancashire style in England, catch-as-catch-can became the most popular form of wrestling in Great Britain and the United States and, with slight modifications, was introduced into Olympic and international competition as freestyle wrestling.”
I must say, however, that I think this blogger summed it up better: “…as opposed to Greco-Roman (wrestling), where there are no leg pickups or holds below the waist, ‘Catch as catch can’ = grab whatever you like.”
Kara Church
Technical Editor, Advisory
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