in the act
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In the process of doing something. For example, The police caught the robber in the act, or I was in the act of closing the window. [Second half of 1600s]
Performing sexual intercourse, as in Her father caught them in the act. [Late 1500s]
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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Words nearby in the act
intestinal villus, intestine, intestines, in that, in that case, in the act, in the aggregate, in the air, in the altogether, in the back, in the bag
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.