red-handed

American  

[red-han-did] / ˈrɛdˈhæn dɪd /

adjective

1. 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.

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red-handed British  

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• red-handedness
  noun
• red-handedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of red-handed

First recorded in 1810–20

Explanation

Someone is red-handed if it's obvious they're guilty of some wrongdoing, or are even in the midst of doing it. If you catch your brother with his hand literally in the cookie jar, you can say you caught him red-handed. A fancier way to say red-handed is the Latin phrase in flagrante delicto, or "in blazing offense." Aside from this legal term, you can also say "caught in the act." Red-handed comes from legal terminology too — specifically, a Scottish legal term that was inspired by the grisly image of a murderer who's been caught with bloody hands.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red-handed

The culprit answered and was told he had been caught red-handed on CCTV, before responding with "I was going to move this, sorry mate", according to Dean.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

PUTIN’S QUOTE: “He was caught red-handed when he was secretly getting classified information.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024

“Even when he is literally caught red-handed, he won’t want to admit it.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

Among other things, he got caught red-handed telling less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth on the stand.

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2023

And so we scramble to do what he says, because red-handed is red-handed, and this is martial law, and Jacqui’s motivational poster is truer than anything right now.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman