Caught red-handed

Discovered in the act of doing something wrong or illegal with clear evidence of guilt.

This phrase originated in 15th century Scotland, where 'red hand' or 'redhand' referred to someone caught with blood on their hands from poaching or murder. The literal blood evidence made denial impossible, and the phrase evolved to mean being caught with any kind of undeniable proof of wrongdoing.

πŸ“– Full word page β€” etymology, 47 translations, audio πŸ”‘ Get Free API Key β€” 50 lookups/day πŸ“š Read the Docs β€” integrate Word Orb