red-handed

[ red-han-did ]

/ ˈrɛdˈhæn dɪd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR red-handed ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, adverb

in the very act of a crime, wrongdoing, etc., or in possession of self-incriminating evidence: They caught him red-handed dipping into the till.

Nearby words

red-eye gravy, red-eyed vireo, red-faced, red-figure, red-flag, red-handed, red-headed, red-headed woodpecker, red-hot, red-hot poker, red-lead ore

Origin of red-handed

First recorded in 1810–20

Related forms

red-hand·ed·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for red-handed

He thought over several plans in his mind, and decided that he must catch Mr. Skeel red-handed.
Tom Fairfield at Sea|Allen Chapman
Humboldt took Pike red-handed; this the present biographer deplores; but he can neither discover nor invent a defense.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume I (of 3)|Elliott Coues
You needn't 've been afraid of any one hearin' the shot and catching you red-handed.
The Voice of the Pack|Edison Marshall
I never mention it myself unless I catch her red-handed; then I storm a little to keep her in bounds.
Birthright|T.S. Stribling

The pipe dropped from the fingers of the Red-Handed, and he slept the sleep of the conscience-free and the weary.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for red-handed

red-handed

adjective

(postpositive) in the act of committing a crime or doing something wrong or shameful (esp in the phrase catch red-handed)

Derived Forms

red-handedly, adverbred-handedness, noun

Word Origin for red-handed

C19 (earlier, C15 red hand)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012