How did the phrase "caught red handed" originate?

"'To be taken with red hand' in ancient times was to be caught in the act, like a murderer, his hands red with his victim's blood. The use of 'red hand' in this sense goes back to 15th century Scotland and Scottish law. Scott's 'Ivanhoe' has the first recorded use of 'taken red-handed' for someone apprehended in the act of committing a crime. Not long after, the expression became more common as 'caught red-handed.'" From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997), Page 135-136 and 138"
Source and further information:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/red-handed

banks sometimes used to use fake bank notes which would
explode into red paint all over the theifs hands(the paint is hard to get off)and everybody would see who did it

The Japanese used to brush urushiol (the sap from poison ivy) on their temple money, so as to catch thieves "red-handed" when the oil would cause them to break out into a rash. This explanation is referenced in the 1990 book, "The Doctor's Book of Home Remedies".

Being caught red handed is to be caught in the act of doing something wrong, or immediately afterwards with evidence showing, so that denial is pointless. It's based simply on the metaphor of a murderer being caught with blood still on their hands, and therefore would date back probably to the days even before guns, when to kill another person would have involved the use of a direct-contact weapon like a dagger or club. The red-handed image is straightforward enough to have evolved from common speech, that is to say, there's unlikely to have been one single quote that originated the expression.

I thought it originated in gloucestershire, england near the woolen mills. The beefeaters of London wear red woolen coats, these coats were died in gloucestershire. because of the value of the coats they were frequently being stolen off the lines whilst they were drying. the theifs would have red hands from taking them. i believe this is where the term caught red handed originated.. email me at mark.ballard@hotmail.co.uk

The origin of Caught Red Handed originated in the 12th century. It is in reference to Kings and Queens and the methods in which their posessions were handled. When a king was away at war or out of the castle, the queen or his daughters were painted with intricate designs across their entire body. The paint was then covered with a red die. If someone attempted to touch them, they would get the red die on their skin, staining it for a sustained period of time. It was extremely difficult to remove and took days. The painted body protected the wearer because it acted as a barrier to the die.

After many centuries, this practice died downand but was still kept alive in the form of pistachios. Yes, Pistachios, they were a food of the nobles and were soaked in die to proevent the lower classes and servants from eating them. If they were to eat the pistachios, their hands would be stained red, just like those of the nobles. Hence being caught red-handed!

This also has one last little nuance that has been kept alive in the form of staining ones fingers (like the nobles), only now it is known as nail polish!

Happy hunting

Brad

It means to be caught in the act of committing a crime. The red hands come from the victim's blood. This originates in 15th century Scotland. Sir Walter Scott provides the earliest printed version of the phrase in Ivanhoe, where it appears as "taken red handed.".

The phrase actually originates from the time when the King of England was owner of all the deer. The penalty for stealing them was death. There were many gamekeepers whose job it was to stop poachers. Many were caught by the gamekeepers with the blood of the animals stll on them and more specifically their hands. Thus they were caught 'red handed' and ususally executed as a result.

from the dye in a stolen bag of money

noooo.....this is based on an Irish tale from Ulster.......