ловить на словах

• ЛОВИТЬ/ПОЙМАТЬ НА СЛОВЕ <НА СЛОВЕ, НА СЛОВАХ> кого coll

[VP; subj: human]

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1. [usu. pres, 1st pers sing]

⇒ to accept s.o.'s statement as sincere and true, and act in accordance with what he said:

- ловлю тебя <вас> на слове ≈ I'll take you at your word;

- I'm going to take what you said <your offer, your promise etc> at face value;

- [in limited contexts] I'll take you up on your <the> offer.

     ♦ [Вася:] Папа... только что ты приглашал меня заходить почаще... [Я] ловлю тебя на слове (Арбузов 3). [V.:] Papa, you've asked me to come and see you more often. I'll take you at your word (3a).

2. [often neg imper]

⇒ to interpret incorrectly what s.o. says or attribute to his words an unintended meaning based on his ambiguous wording, contradictory phrasing, or slip(s) of the tongue (one's misconstrual is usu. intentional and purposeful):

- Neg Imper не ловите меня на слове{{}}≈ don't read into my words <into what I said etc> something that isn't <wasn't> there;

- don't take me <what I said etc> too literally;

- don't misinterpret <misconstrue> what I said <I'm saying etc>;

|| X поймал Y-а на слове{{}}≈ [in refer, to a breach in logic] X caught Y

     ♦ Юмор должен проникнуть на все собрания, на все конференции, на все пленумы, на все съезды. Нет, меня на слове не поймаете, деловая часть не отменяется. Но все доклады, например, на съездах будут пронизаны юмором (Искандер 4). Humor must penetrate all meetings, all conferences, all plenary sessions, all congresses. No, don't take me too literally, the working sessions won't be abolished. But all the reports at the congresses, for example, will be shot through with humor (4a).

     ♦ "Я думаю, что если дьявол не существует и, стало быть, создал его человек, то создал он его по своему образу и подобию". - "В таком случае, равно как и бога". - "...Ты поймал меня на слове, пусть, я рад" (Достоевский 1). "I think that if the devil does not exist, and man has therefore created him, he has created him in his own image and likeness." "As well as God, then." ...So you caught me, but let it be, I'm glad" (1a).