Meaning:
The proverb "Catch as catch can" means to do the best you can with the
resources available to you. It refers to improvising or making do with what
you have.
Background:
The phrase originates from a style of wrestling known as catch-as-catch-can,
where wrestlers could use various holds and techniques. This style was
popular among itinerant wrestlers who traveled from place to place, competing
in any way they could.
For example sentences:
- When my car broke down on the side of the road, I had to catch as catch can
and find a way to continue my journey.
- The students were given a catch-as-catch-can assignment, requiring them to
create a poem using whatever materials they could find.
- After the CEO's unexpected departure, the company was operating on a
catch-as-catch-can basis, managing things with whatever resources were
available.
The phrase can have both positive and negative connotations. Positively, it
implies resourcefulness and adaptability. Negatively, it suggests
disorganization or a haphazard approach. The meaning of the phrase depends on
the context in which it is used.
- englishdaily626.com [edited]
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Five years into martial arts, I have heard "catch wrestling" from time to time
and rolled often with wrestlers but am amazed to learn that the style has become
a proverb! And it means vale tudo, i.e., everything goes.
Rickson Gracie beat the US Olympic gold medalist wrestler Mark Schultz back in
1993 but I saw an impressive fight where a catch wrestler beat a BJJ master in a
Metamoris show. Josh Barnett (also a BJJ blackbelt) finished Dean Lister (40-50
lbs smaller, BJJ legend) in a hon kesa gatame hold by pressing into Dean's chest
so he couldn't breathe (The title said it was a neck crank).
