Caught Red-Handed

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.

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More Idioms Starting with C

• Clean Bill of Health
• Conk Out
• Chicken Out
• Couch Potato
• Crocodile Tears

More Body Part Idioms

• Heavy Heart
• Lump In Your Throat
• Armed to the Teeth
• Elbow Grease
• Elbow Room
• Blow Smoke Up Someone’s Ass

More Caught/Catch Idioms

• Caught With Your Pants Down
• Caught with Your Hand In The Cookie Jar
• Caught In The Crossfire
• Catch Your Death (You’ll)
• Catch Some Rays

More Color Idioms

• Green With Envy
• Once in a Blue Moon
• Black and Blue
• Red Letter Day
• Yellow Belly
• Talk A Blue Streak

More Hand Idioms

• Secondhand (Second-hand, second hand)
• Firsthand (first-hand, first hand)
• Old Hand, an
• Have Someone in the Palm of One’s Hand
• At Hand

More Red Idioms

• Red Letter Day
• Paint The Town Red

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