catch someone at their own game

catch someone at their own game (third-person singular simple present catches someone at their own game, present participle catching someone at their own game, simple past and past participle caught someone at their own game)

1. Alternative form of beat someone at their own game.
   • 2014 June 27, Erica Hellerstein, “The Rise of the DIY Abortion in Texas”, in The Atlantic‎:

     So far, Molly says she has sent the pills out to between 50 and 100 women. Sometimes she receives emails that seem like “suspicious pleas”—messages that sound little too-scripted, like the person behind the keyboard is playing a role to catch Molly at her own game.