in the act vs red-handed

in the act

prep
  • In the process of doing something considered criminal or otherwise wrong; used to emphasize the eye-witness evidence. 

red-handed

adj
  • Deadly, bloody. 

  • Showing clear evidence of guilt; in the act of wrongdoing. 

  • With hands that are red from blood. 

How often have the words in the act and red-handed occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )