catch on

verb

Etymology: From catch (verb) + on (preposition).

1. Chiefly in the form catch oneself on: to cause (oneself) to get or regain a proper appreciation of a situation; to behave in the expected, sensible way; to stop fooling around or being silly.

   “Big Pat's still wearing his hair like two floppy ears on a dog. He's amazing: wouldn't you think his wife or someone would tell him to catch himself on.”

2. Chiefly followed by to: to cling or hold on to something; to get stuck on something; to take hold.

   “Every other man in town might have walked over that plank, and it wouldn't gin away. I walked over that plank last night, and airly this morning. I see, when I stepped on to it, that somebody had been a movin' on it; but I didn't know the 'tother eend was only just ketched on to the rock.”

   “He meant to drift altogether and literally, body and soul, like a detached leaf drifting in the wind-currents under the immovable trees of a forest glade; to drift without ever catching on to anything.”

3. Chiefly followed by to: to cling or hold on to something; to get stuck on something; to take hold.

   “When we stand by the fireplace at Arrows, it's not hard to imagine the ancestor of our farm standing around an iron pot and tending the well-kept fire, taking in the aromas of cooking that filled the room. They waited for the pot roast to "catch on," sticking to the pot just enough to brown, giving the gravy a richness and a savory flavor that coats the lips.”

4. Of an idea, a thing, etc.: to become fashionable or popular; also, to become established as standard; to become commonplace.

   “It’s a crummy idea, and I certainly hope it doesn’t catch on.”

   “At first, many people didn’t like that kind of music, but after a while it caught on.”

5. Followed by to: to recognize the potential of something; also, to take advantage of or use something (especially an idea, a trend, etc.).

   “The Chicago papers are quick to "catch on" to a fire sensation and make the most of it. […] The first news received in Cincinnati of the fire in the Planters' House in St. Louis Sunday morning came from Chicago.”

   “The NME were very late in catching on to punk, which is why they had to get [Julie] Burchill and [Tony] Parsons in.”

6. Chiefly followed by to: to (begin to) understand; to realize.

   “He didn’t have to explain; I caught on right away.”

   “She’s been catching on pretty well.”