In archaic or legal usage, the act of possessing or holding something in one's hand; in some contexts, caught red-handed (in the act).
Compound of 'hand' and 'having' (from 'have,' Old English 'habban'). The term literally describes the condition of holding something in one's possession, particularly something recently acquired or currently in one's grasp.
The legal term 'red-handed' comes from Scottish 'hand-having'—literally if you were caught 'having' stolen goods in your hand, stained with the victim's blood, you were committing a very serious crime with no possible denial of guilt.
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