to catch a tartar

1 definition found

to catch a tartar - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Tartar \Tar"tar\, n.
     1. [Per. T[=a]t[=a]r, of Tartar origin.] A native or
        inhabitant of Tartary in Asia; a member of any one of
        numerous tribes, chiefly Moslem, of Turkish origin,
        inhabiting the Russian Europe; -- written also, more
        correctly but less usually, Tatar.
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     2. A person of a keen, irritable temper.
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     To catch a tartar, to lay hold of, or encounter, a person
        who proves too strong for the assailant. [Colloq.]
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