Caught her breath

[supada]

Dear teachers,

Before Syd has caught her breath, she's captured Lucy's fascination and is drawn into the center of Lucy's strangely alluring life upstairs.

Can you explain 'Syd has caught her breath' with easy and understandable words?

When Syd's bosses at Frame catch wind of her acquaintance with Lucy, they suddenly take interest in Syd and pressure her to bring Lucy to the magazine.

Is this phrase common to speak or it should be only in writing?


Please help.

[Barb_D]

It's a euphamism for "it happened very quickly." If something happens before you can even catch your breath, it didn't take much time, does it? So it's not literal - I'm sure the girl breathed more than a few times - but as a figure of speech, it just means "things happened fast."

I do use "catch wind of" in real life, and don't find the word "acquaintance" to be too high-brow for real conversation either.

[supada]

Thanks, Barb_D.