in flagrante delicto
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L192556 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ɪn fləˌɡɹæn.teɪ dɪˈlɪk.təʊ/
adv
Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from Medieval Latin in flagrante delicto (literally “while the crime is blazing”), from in + flāgrō (“burn”) + dēlictō, form of dēlīctum (“crime, misdeed”).
- In the act of committing a misdeed.
“He would be caught in flagrante delicto, and, with a heavy sentence hovering over him, he would probably be induced to name his accomplice.”
- While performing sexual activity.
“We've already established that you were one of Miss Scarlet's clients. That's why you were so desperate to get your hands on those negatives. Photographs of you and Yvette in flagrante delicto, remember?”
“I would add to that the fact that, if we are happy to be caught in flagrante delicto in a picturesque setting, there would be something almost humiliating about being caught somewhere as ugly as that.”