do a double take

Meaning

This expression means to look at someone or something, look away, and then quickly look back again because you are surprised or shocked by what you saw. It is commonly used in casual, everyday situations when something unexpected catches your attention. The tone is usually lighthearted, surprised, or amused.

Examples

• I had to do a double take when I saw my old high school teacher working at the local coffee shop.

  I had to do a double take when I saw my old high school teacher working at the local coffee shop.

• When she walked in wearing that bright neon green wig, everyone in the room did a double take.

  When she walked in wearing that bright neon green wig, everyone in the room did a double take.

• I did a double take when I looked at the price tag of that leather jacket—it was three thousand dollars!

  I did a double take when I looked at the price tag of that leather jacket—it was three thousand dollars!

• Did you see that dog riding a skateboard? I literally did a double take.

  Did you see that dog riding a skateboard? I literally did a double take.

• He had to do a double take when he saw his twin brother's photo on the front page of the newspaper.

  He had to do a double take when he saw his twin brother's photo on the front page of the newspaper.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I made a double take when I saw the price.

  ✓ I did a double take when I saw the price.

  Learners often confuse the verbs 'make' and 'do'. In English, the correct collocation is always 'do a double take' or 'had to do a double take'.

• ✗ His new haircut made me double take.

  ✓ His new haircut made me do a double take.

  In this idiom, 'double take' acts as a noun phrase, so it requires the supporting verb 'do'. You cannot use 'double take' directly as a verb in this context.

Related Expressions

Practice

• When I saw the electricity bill this month, I had to ___ because the number was so high.

  💡 Use the base form of the expression meaning to look again in surprise.

  Show answer

  do a double take

• She ___ when she saw someone who looked exactly like her favorite celebrity sitting in the cafe.

  💡 Remember to change the verb to the past tense to match the rest of the sentence.

  Show answer

  did a double take