catch me up

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keannu

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Does "catch sb up" mean "to explain to sb" or "follow sb in something"? Coach doesn't know Mel met the ghost of Matt in Justin's body, and Mel is trying to explain it, and he wonders about it and says so.

gw2-10
mel- It was Matt that grabbed me that day at school, not Justin.
coach- Ok. You're gonna have to catch me up a little here. You saw Matt Vonner?
mel- Yes. You know he's dead.
 

Tullia

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It's a colloquial phrase meaning roughly "to explain to sb" but you are not explaining something they don't understand. You are more explaining to - or perhaps a better word would simply be "telling" - them something that has happened while they have been absent, so that they can "catch up" with the news i.e. become current with the situation.


Can someone catch me up with what you talked about while I was on the phone?
I'm sorry I missed the night out this weekend - you need to catch me up on all the gossip!
It feels like I've been on holiday for a month not a week - catch me up with what's going on with you.
 

BobK

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I think (no authority) the colloquial usage was originally a metaphor, based on physical 'catching up'. If A is behind B in a race, B can 'catch A up'. Of course, in a race A probably doesn't want to be caught up, but imagine a parent running in front of a toddler: 'See if you can catch me up'.

In the metaphorical use. instead of being physically behind, someone is 'behind' in terms of knowledge or experience.

b
 
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