caught in the act
discovered doing something wrong or illegal
TRANSLATION
caught in the act = auf frischer Tat ertappt, in flagranti erwischt --- GOOGLE INDEX caught in the act: approximately 12,800,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
At first, residents weren't sure where the scratches and dents on their cars were coming from, until one family CAUGHT the stork IN THE ACT.
(Spiegel Online, English edition)
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Denver police are looking for three vandalism suspects CAUGHT IN THE ACT by surveillance cameras in the University Park neighborhood.
(CBS News)
(Spiegel Online, English edition)
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Denver police are looking for three vandalism suspects CAUGHT IN THE ACT by surveillance cameras in the University Park neighborhood.
(CBS News)
Did you
know?
caught in the act
idiom
- seen doing something illegal or private
(McGraw-Hill Dictionary)
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In the expression "caught in the act," caught is the past tense and past participle of the verb "catch," which stems from the Anglo-French or Old North French cachier meaning to "capture" (animals). Cachier eventually derives from the Vulgar Latin "captiare" which refers to trying to seize or chase, and the Latin "captare" (take, hold).
Among other things, catch is used in the sense of discovering, seeing or realizing something. For instance:
- Did you catch the new episode of CSI Miami last night?
- Too bad you didn’t catch my darts performance. It was brilliant!
- I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Would you mind repeating it?
By adding "in the act," the implication is that someone has been discovered doing something wrong (the act). Act stems from the Old French "acte" (official document) and directly from the Latin "actus," which refers to a doing, a driving or an impulse, and "actum," a thing done (originally a legal term)
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SYNONYMS
caught red-handed, caught with his/her pants down, busted, caught off-guard, caught unawares
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"John was dismissed yesterday. He was caught in the act of stealing office supplies."
idiom
- seen doing something illegal or private
(McGraw-Hill Dictionary)
---
In the expression "caught in the act," caught is the past tense and past participle of the verb "catch," which stems from the Anglo-French or Old North French cachier meaning to "capture" (animals). Cachier eventually derives from the Vulgar Latin "captiare" which refers to trying to seize or chase, and the Latin "captare" (take, hold).
Among other things, catch is used in the sense of discovering, seeing or realizing something. For instance:
- Did you catch the new episode of CSI Miami last night?
- Too bad you didn’t catch my darts performance. It was brilliant!
- I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. Would you mind repeating it?
By adding "in the act," the implication is that someone has been discovered doing something wrong (the act). Act stems from the Old French "acte" (official document) and directly from the Latin "actus," which refers to a doing, a driving or an impulse, and "actum," a thing done (originally a legal term)
---
SYNONYMS
caught red-handed, caught with his/her pants down, busted, caught off-guard, caught unawares
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"John was dismissed yesterday. He was caught in the act of stealing office supplies."
