red-handedly

See also: redhandedly

English

Alternative forms

• redhandedly
• red-handed
• redhanded

Etymology

From red-handed +‎ -ly.

Adverb

red-handedly (comparative more red-handedly, superlative most red-handedly)

1. Red-handed; with clear evidence of guilt.

   Synonyms: bang to rights, dead to rights; see also Thesaurus:guiltily

   • 2011, Robb Forman Dew, Being Polite to Hitler: A Novel, →ISBN:

     And even though a moment earlier he had felt guilty not to have taken Dave's anguish more to heart, Claytor found himself annoyed at being caught red-handedly dogless .

   • 2013, Sky Nakayama, Gina Gabrielle, Phantasmagoria, →ISBN:

     But even though she red-handedly catches them, Jason doubts that she would punish Kayla.

   • 2014, Kerry L. Bercher, R.E.M.F., →ISBN:

     This convinced the ARVNs that they had caught VC looters red-handedly stealing from the PX.

2. In a bloody and violent manner.
   • 2015, F. Shelton Gonkerwon, Dark Freedom: A Gloomy Tale of Once a War Divided Liberia, →ISBN:

     A SATU fellow, trawled redhandedly following an exchange of gunfire, was ordered executed before us upon his confession of how the SATU had planned to destroy human being in the Grey stone Compound.

Usage notes

Only the sense of in a violent and bloody manner is comparable.