in flagrante delicto

Examples

• All

• Photographs of us in flagrante delicto?

  The End of the Affair (1999)

• The boy Ugo was the Duke's favorite, which prompted a jealous older brother to lead their father to Ugo and their stepmother, Parisina, where they were found in flagrante delicto.

  The Golden Bowl (2000)

• They've now caught me in flagrante delicto, so to speak.

• "I believe the term you're searching for, Aunt, is in flagrante delicto, or caught in the act."

  Fiction book (1998)

• She had recently discovered him in flagrante delicto—literally.

  Blog text (22)

• "In A la Recherche...," says Stephen Kellman, "we catch a fictive creator in flagrante delicto."

  Academic text (1993)

• And I remember we were caught in flagrante delicto by Henry Kissinger, and you can imagine my humiliation at having Hank hear me say, "Mr. French, no teeth."

  Fiction book (1999)

• That's why you were so desperate to get your hands on those negatives, photographs of you and Yvette in flagrante delicto, remember?

  Clue (1985)

• The detective found the couple in flagrante delicto during the surveillance operation.

• She walked in on them in flagrante delicto, completely unaware of their affair.

Synonyms

I

in the act

vsin flagrante delicto

39 4.4

While someone is doing something wrong and someone else sees them

is a formal phrase often used for sexual or compromising discovery

R

red-handed

vsin flagrante delicto

• Informal

24 3.8

Caught in the act of doing something wrong with clear proof

is less about proof and more about being found in compromising situations

C

caught in the act

vsin flagrante delicto

5 3.7

Someone finds a person while they are doing something wrong

is focused on the same moment but adds formal or sexual connotation

I

in delicto

vsin flagrante delicto

• Formal

9.9

Caught in the act of committing a crime

is broader and used for compromising or sexual situations as well

C

caught with one's dick in one's hand

vsin flagrante delicto

• Offensive

9.9

A rude way to say someone is in an embarrassing situation and unprepared

is more formal and covers being found during wrongdoing or compromising acts

Antonyms

I

innocent

∞ 2.2

Not guilty of a crime or wrongdoing

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology