What does ‘caught red-handed’ mean?
To “caught red-handed” means to caught in the act of wrongdoing. Brewer's traces the phrase to old Scottish law, where 'red hand' meant literally being caught with a slain victim's blood on the hand; Sir Walter Scott popularized the phrase in Ivanhoe (1819).
Origin
- Brewer's traces the phrase to old Scottish law, where 'red hand' meant literally being caught with a slain victim's blood on the hand; Sir Walter Scott popularized the phrase in Ivanhoe (1819).
How to use it
- Standard description of catching someone at it.
- Example: The thief was caught red-handed at the till.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.