In the very act of committing the offense; red-handed.[From Medieval Latin, literally, while the crime is blazing.]
"Mr. Big, the dung beetle, for instance, regularly patrols his tunnel to check on Mrs. Big, and if he catches her in flagrante delicto, he throws the interloper out." Richard Conniff; Close Encounters of the Sneaky Kind; Smithsonian (Washington, DC); Jul 2003.This week's theme: terms from Latin.
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