in flagrante delicto
Mid-act, mid-crime
In flagrante delicto is a Latin legal phrase meaning "in blazing offense"—caught in the very act of committing a crime or misdeed.
Most commonly it describes catching someone in the act of sex: She walked in on them in flagrante delicto.
The phrase sounds formal or humorous in everyday speech, often shortened to in flagrante.
Caught mid-crime
- bustedApprehended or broken
- discoveredFound something previously unknown
- apprehendedCaptured or comprehended
- nabbedSeized or arrested
collared · trapped · unmasked · spotted · detected · witnessed · interrupted · intercepted
Loss of honor
- infamyExtreme public disgrace
- notorietyFame from misdeeds
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
- indiscretionUnwise act or remark
impropriety · misconduct · humiliation · tabloid · headline · gossip · controversy · fallout
Violent sudden disturbance
- astonishmentIntense sudden wonder
- dismayDistressed loss of courage
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- stupefactionMental numbness from shock
consternation · aghast · thunderstruck · speechless · gobsmacked · mortification · shame · guilt
Facts supporting truth
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- eyewitnessOne who saw events
- admissibleAllowed to be considered
proof · incriminating · criminal · illicit · felonious · unlawful · malfeasance · arrest
red-handed
Caught mid-crime
- bustedApprehended or broken
- discoveredFound something previously unknown
- apprehendedCaptured or comprehended
nabbed · collared · trapped · unmasked · spotted · detected · witnessed · interrupted · intercepted · surprised
disgrace
Loss of honor
- infamyExtreme public disgrace
- notorietyFame from misdeeds
- embarrassmentSelf-conscious unease
indiscretion · impropriety · misconduct · humiliation · tabloid · headline · gossip · controversy · fallout · backlash
shock
Violent sudden disturbance
- astonishmentIntense sudden wonder
- dismayDistressed loss of courage
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
stupefaction · consternation · aghast · thunderstruck · speechless · gobsmacked · mortification · shame · guilt · embarrassment
evidence
Facts supporting truth
- prosecutionPursuing legal charges
- testimonySworn statement as evidence
- eyewitnessOne who saw events
admissible · proof · incriminating · criminal · illicit · felonious · unlawful · malfeasance · arrest · conviction
in flagrante delictounsuspected
Not imagined to exist
undetected · getting away with it · circumstantial evidence · suspected · alleged
in flagrante delictogetting away with it
undiscovered · undetected · hidden · covert · covered up
in flagrante delictoinnocent
Free from moral wrong
above suspicion · blameless · exonerated · cleared · acquitted