dead to rights

Idioms  

1. In the act of committing an error or crime, red-handed. For example, They caught the burglars dead to rights with the Oriental rugs. This phrase uses to rights in the sense of “at once.” [Slang; mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

By the sixth episode Jarecki has Durst dead to rights to such a degree that Durst excuses himself to the bathroom and, forgetting his mic is still hot, murmurs, “There it is. You’re caught.”

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2024

“Listen, the quarterback here is a unique challenge. We had him dead to rights I don’t know how many times during the game.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2022

When it came to the investors, prosecutors had Holmes dead to rights.

From The Verge • Jan. 5, 2022

Abraham Toro, running from first, was daringly waved home, and would have been dead to rights if the throw hadn’t been offline.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 1, 2021

Momma used to tell me, “Deny it until they’ve got you dead to rights, sugar. If they can’t prove it, it never happened.”

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland