Also: Catch Red-Handed
Meaning of Idiom ‘Caught Red-Handed’
To be caught red-handed means to be caught while doing something wrong or illegal; to be caught committing a crime with all the evidence available.
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Examples of Use
“She was caught red-handed while shoplifting.”
“I tried to cheat on an important exam once, but I was caught red-handed by my teacher.”
“The mayor was caught red-handed misappropriating funds.”
“There is no point arresting him now,” said the detective. “We have to catch him red-handed.”
Origin
Used since at least the 1880’s.
This idiom originally alluded to blood found on a murderer’s hands but was later generalized to refer to any crime or wrongdoing. 1Pare, May. Body Idioms and More: For Learners of English. United States?: Mayuree Pare, 2005.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
25 Body Parts Idioms | Idioms Online Video
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More Idioms Starting with C
- Cotton To Someone or Something
- Cotton On To Something
- Give Someone the Cold Shoulder
- Cheap and Cheerful Meaning
- Call Names
More Body Part Idioms
- Go Belly Up
- Stand On Someone’s Shoulders
- In One’s Face
- Give Someone the Cold Shoulder
- Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand
- Out of the Corner of One’s Eye
More Caught/Catch Idioms
- Catch Fire
- Catch Your Breath
- What’s the Catch?
- Caught With Your Pants Down
- Caught with Your Hand In The Cookie Jar
More Color Idioms
More Hand Idioms
- Wash Your Hands of (Someone or Something)
- Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand
- Hand Something on a Silver Platter
- Hands Down
- Secondhand (Second-hand, second hand)
More Red Idioms
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Sources
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