red-handed
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red-handed
Where it comes from
From red + handed, likening to a murderer with their hands red with the victim's blood. The phrase to be taken with red hand originally meant "to be caught in the act". The use of red hand in this sense dates back to at least the 15th century in medieval Scotland and Scots law. Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (1819) contains the first recorded use of taken red-handed for someone apprehended in the act of committing a crime. The expression subsequently became more common as caught red-handed.
adjective more red-handed · most red-handed
-
Showing clear evidence of guilt; in the act of wrongdoing.
to catch red-handed
Similar: in flagrante delicto
- Deadly, bloody. The demon of fire followed close upon the heels of the unseen fiend of the earth's hidden caverns, and ran red-handed through the metropolis of the West, kindling a thousand unhurt buildings, while the horror-stricken people stood aghast in terror, as helpless to combat this new enemy as they were t
- With hands that are red from blood. The blisters had wept blood for a while, leaving him literally red-handed for the rest of the night.
Translations
Every language
adj in the act of wrongdoing
| 한국어 | 현행범 hyeonhaengbeom |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 現行犯 genkōhan |
| 中文 | 正著, 正着 zhèngzháo, 當場 /当场 dāngchǎng, 現行犯 /现行犯 xiànxíngfàn, 雙手沾滿鮮血 /双手沾满鲜血 shuāng shǒu zhān mǎn xiānxiě, 正在作案 zhèngzài zuò'àn |
| Português | em flagrante, com a boca na botija, com a mão na massa |
| Français | la main dans le sac, en flagrant délit |
| Deutsch | in flagranti (ertappt), auf frischer Tat (ertappt), bei der Tat |
| Italiano | con le mani nel sacco, in flagranza |
| Română | cu mâna în sac |
| Русский | на ме́сте преступле́ния na méste prestuplénija, с поли́чным s políčnym |
| العربية | مُتَلَبَّس mutalabbas, جُرْم مَشْهُود jurm mašhūd |
Talk about this word "red-handed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/red-handed. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. red-handed. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/red-handed "red-handed." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/red-handed.Cite this
@misc{red_handed_2026,
title = {red-handed},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/red-handed},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
