red handed
/rɛd ˈhændɪd/
adverb
- In the act of doing something wrong or illegal.
- She was caught red-handed cheating on the test when the teacher saw her looking at another student's paper.
- The security camera caught him red-handed breaking into the office after hours.
- The thief was caught red-handed stealing a wallet from the store.
adjective
- Describing someone who is caught in the act of committing a crime or wrongdoing.
- In the movie, the detective finally had a red-handed suspect.
- The red-handed teenager admitted to taking the cookies from the jar.
- The red-handed burglar had no excuse when the police arrived.