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.
The original 'red hands' weren't metaphorical at all - they were literally bloodstained from illegal hunting or violence. This makes the phrase one of the most visceral in English, transforming from a description of actual forensic evidence into our go-to expression for any kind of undeniable guilt.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.