What does “erwischen” mean in German?

When the blindfolded player in this game says “ich erwisch den Apfel” (“I get the apple”), she’s using erwischen — a versatile everyday verb for grabbing or catching hold of something, usually with an element of luck or chance. It works for objects (den Bus erwischen, “to catch the bus”), for people caught doing something (Du bist erwischt!, “You’re caught!”), and for blind guesses landing right.

Erwischen differs from the more neutral fangen (to catch, as in a ball) by carrying a sense of luck, surprise, or getting away with — or not getting away with — something: jemanden beim Lügen erwischen (“to catch someone lying”), einen guten Parkplatz erwischen (“to snag a good parking spot”). It’s the verb for anything grabbed just in time, on purpose or not.