catch on

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catch on (third-person singular simple present catches on, present participle catching on, simple past and past participle caught on)

1. (intransitive, idiomatic) To understand; to begin to understand; to realize.

   Synonyms: cotton on, glom on

   He didn't have to explain; I caught on right away.

   She's been catching on pretty well.

2. (intransitive, idiomatic) To become popular; to become commonplace; to become the standard.

   It's a crummy idea, and I certainly hope it does not catch on.

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

   • 1921, W. F. Grew, The Cycle Industry, London, page 74:

     They were largely advertised, important firms rented expensive shops for retail purposes, and at one time it looked as though the American bicycle would catch on. The attempted invasion failed; a small army reached our shores but it got swallowed up and the officers retired with discomfiture.

   • 1997 August 9, Edward Rothstein, “A Comeback for the Viola. No Joking.”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 27 February 2021:

     But those who attack violists shouldn't throw resin. Once the ergonomic viola catches on what instrument will be immune?

3. (intransitive, New England, dated, of food) To become stuck to the cooking vessel; to brown or burn slightly.
   • 2011, Mark Gaier, Clark Frasier, Rachel Forrest, Ron Manville, Maine Classics: More than 150 Delicious Recipes from Down East, Philadelphia: Running Press, →ISBN, page 172:

     They waited for the pot roast to "catch on," sticking to the pot just enough to brown

• (antonym(s) of “become commonplace or standard”): go the way of the dinosaurs

• “catch on”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.