Idioms: Act - catch someone in the a.

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Idiom(s) of the day: catch someone in the act

My category (Russian-to-English translation): Раскрытие и сокрытие (Revealing and hiding)

Explanation(s):

Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms, 2004 (CCDI):

If you are caught in the act, someone sees you doing something secret or wrong. In this expression, “act” refers to the act of doing something.

Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):

usu. be caught in the act: surprise someone in the process of doing something wrong

surprise someone in the process of doing something wrong

Babylon (www.babylon.com):

catch someone in the act (of doing something) to find someone and interrupt them when they are doing something wrong

Translation(s):

CCDI:

Поймать кого-либо на месте преступления; поймать кого-либо с поличным.

Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):

Babylon (www.babylon.com):

застать кого-либо "на горячем", совершающим неблаговидный поступок

застать кого-л. на месте преступления

Multitran (www.multitran.ru):

поймать на месте преступления

поймать с поличным

поймать в момент совершения преступления

схваченный в момент совершения преступления (caught in the act)

Multilex (www.multilex.ru):

Examples:

CCDI:

The men were caught in the act of digging up buried explosives.

The local authority has set aside £500 to spend on security cameras, hoping the residents will be able to catch vandals in the act on film.

Lingvo (www.lingvo.com):

the thieves were caught in the act

He was caught in the act of stealing a car.

they photographed him in the act of reading other people's mail

Babylon (www.babylon.com):

He denies all guilt, even though he was caught in the act.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED) v4.0:

British National Corpus (BNC), Mark Davies (http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/):

A5Y W_ac_polit_law_edu street late at might, and was very respectful and deferential when caught in the act , but, upon the policeman recalling that he had recently been one of

HE5 S_brdcast_documentary break in, the intruder badly damaged a door. He was caught in the act but got off with a caution. You lot of woofers. We had been

HJ4 W_newsp_other_report Richie (29), host of BBC's home video series Caught In The Act , is playing rockabilly rebel Kenickie (John Travolta's best friend in the film

B24 W_non_ac_soc_science year ago in Liverpool, a boy was caught upon a Sunday evening in the act of stealing a handkerchief out of somebody's pocket and was arrested.

CCL W_religion an unconditional and wholehearted response from them. Having assured the woman caught in the act of adultery of forgiveness, he tells her, "do not sin again"

A0J W_misc tell when someone is using drugs only occasionally --; unless they are caught in the act , or when intoxicated like being drunk.

CJE W_misc easily reach a worktop in a kitchen. If you catch your dog in the act of stealing food, then you should scold it appropriately; after the event though

K3M W_newsp_other_arts on his trail --; but for some reason never manages to catch him in the act . Then a couple of pensioners are robbed of their video, camera and watches

K4L W_newsp_other_social when they take things into their own hands. Householders who catch burglars in the act may get a bit rough and individual policemen may strike out in some after-hours pub rough-house

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