Catch a / the bus

Posted by Bruce Kahl on September 08, 2004

In Reply to: Catch a / the bus posted by DAVID on September 08, 2004

: ? Anyone know the origin of the phrase "To catch a / the bus" Why catch?

The word is from the Ancient Romans who used the word "capto, captare (captiare?)" which means to hunt down,chase or to corner.Think of the word capture. It was a hunting term.
A bus is a moving object and you, the passenger, need to align yourself with the bus and capture and board the vehicle.