In pursuit of better diction

I read. A lot. (I bet you remember that) And, as I read I discover just how limited my understanding of language is.

Yes, I speak my mother tongue (English) fairly well (most days), and I speak Espanol (badly, most days). When we were over-seas I mumbled and stumbled through Francais and Deutch well enough to get around. But how much do I really know? Or understand?

The point of this meandering ramble through language(s) is that I'm always learning more and more. Take for instance this little tidbit:

In flagrante delicto.

Whos-its-whats-its-huh!?

That was what I was thinking the first few times I read it. So, being the geeky type that I am I had to immediately throw caution to to the wind and look its meaning (gotta love Wikipedia):

in flagrante delicto = Latin for "caught in the
act of committing an offense", caught red-handed, caught in the act; The Latin
term has come to be used far more often as a euphemism for a couple being
caught in the act of sexual intercourse;

Well. Now you've been learn-ed.

You'all can talk like a Cambridge scholar too (it sounds like I should add in: for ONLY 6 payments of $19.95, plus S+H...).

So, the next time you're hanging out at Chuck-e-cheese, you can drop this little kernel in your conversation (gossip) about the neighbor's, cousin's kid's best-friend's nephew.

Whew!

I just love new words and random arcana, like this new phrase. After all, you never know when Alex Trebek will call and tell you there's an opening on Jeopardy!