throw off.

Prepositions:

To carry coals _to_ Newcastle; carry nothing _from_, or _out of_, this
house; he carried these qualities _into_ all he did; carry _across_ the
street, _over_ the bridge, _through_ the woods, _around_ or _round_ the
corner; _beyond_ the river; the cable was carried _under_ the sea.

* * * * *

CATASTROPHE.

Synonyms:

calamity, denouement, mischance, mishap,
cataclysm, disaster, misfortune, sequel.

A _cataclysm_ or _catastrophe_ is some great convulsion or momentous
event that may or may not be a cause of misery to man. In _calamity_, or
_disaster_, the thought of human suffering is always present. It has
been held by many geologists that numerous _catastrophes_ or
_cataclysms_ antedated the existence of man. In literature, the final
event of a drama is the _catastrophe_, or _denouement_. _Misfortune_
ordinarily suggests less of suddenness and violence than _calamity_ or
_disaster_, and is especially applied to that which is lingering or
enduring in its effects. In history, the end of every great war or the
fall of a nation is a _catastrophe_, tho it may not be a _calamity_. Yet
such an event, if not a _calamity_ to the race, will always involve much
individual _disaster_ and _misfortune_. Pestilence is a _calamity_; a
defeat in battle, a shipwreck, or a failure in business is a _disaster_;
sickness or loss of property is a _misfortune_; failure to meet a friend
is a _mischance_; the breaking of a teacup is a _mishap_.

Antonyms:

benefit, boon, favor, pleasure, prosperity,
blessing, comfort, help, privilege, success.

Preposition:

The catastrophe _of_ a play; _of_ a siege; rarely, _to_ a person, etc.

* * * * *

CATCH.

Synonyms:

apprehend, comprehend, grasp, overtake, snatch,
capture, discover, grip, secure, take,
clasp, ensnare, gripe, seize, take hold of.
clutch, entrap, lay hold of (on, upon),

To _catch_ is to come up with or take possession of something departing,
fugitive, or illusive. We _catch_ a runaway horse, a flying ball, a
mouse in a trap. We _clutch_ with a swift, tenacious movement of the
fingers; we _grasp_ with a firm but moderate closure of the whole hand;
we _grip_ or _gripe_ with the strongest muscular closure of the whole
hand possible to exert. We _clasp_ in the arms. We _snatch_ with a
quick, sudden, and