Caught Red-handed.
English
idiom
To be caught in the act of doing something wrong or illegal.
Trusted by1M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To be caught in the act of doing something wrong or illegal.
Trusted by1M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To be caught in the act, with no way to deny it.
When someone is caught red-handed, the proof is right there — they were seen doing it.
It's used when a person is spotted in the middle of something they shouldn't be doing.
"With Your Hand in the Cookie Jar"
—
Caught doing something dishonest, but lighter and small in scale
"In Hot Water"
—
Be in trouble or facing serious consequences for something
"Caught Red-handed"
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Caught at the exact moment of doing something wrong
I caught him red-handed sharing confidential files with a competitor.
That's serious. Have you contacted HR yet?
I caught you red-handed going through my phone. Why would you do that?
I'm sorry. I was worried and made a bad decision.
So how did they know it was him?
He was caught red-handed — the security camera got everything.
