take by surprise

take by surprise (third-person singular simple present takes by surprise, present participle taking by surprise, simple past took by surprise, past participle taken by surprise)

1. To occur to someone when unexpected; to surprise.
   • 2012 March 23, Barry Neild, “Borat's version of Kazakh anthem played at Kuwait medal ceremony”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Kazakhstan's shooting team was taken by surprise when a spoof national anthem from the film Borat was used at a medal ceremony in Kuwait.

   • 2018 June 12, Julian Borger, “US to suspend military exercises with South Korea, Trump says”, in The Guardian‎, →ISSN:

     Both the South Korean government and US forces in the region appear to have been taken by surprise by Trump’s declared suspension of joint exercises.

   • 2023 December 13, 'Industry Insider', “Delivering a robust timetable”, in RAIL, number 998, page 68:

     No substitute bus services could be organised, and it is almost as though the train operator has been taken by surprise by the non-attendance of staff who appear to have made themselves unavailable - whether or not the diagram concerned was covered by overtime.