catch sb red-handed
这是该词最常见的用法，red-handed 紧跟在宾语之后，说明某人做坏事时被当场抓住。
The guard caught the thief red-handed.
保安当场抓住了那个小偷。
血腥的；沾血的；在犯罪或做坏事时；双手沾满鲜血的
Caught in the act of wrongdoing; with clear evidence of guilt.
常用于 catch sb red-handed 结构。
Showing clear evidence of guilt; in the act of wrongdoing.
在犯罪或做坏事时
in the act of committing a crime or other reprehensible act
Deadly, bloody.
The thief was caught red-handed by the police.
小偷被警察当场抓获。
用法提示：red-handed 在此处作形容词，与 caught 连用，表示‘当场（作案）的’。
AI contextual example
The teacher caught the student red-handed while cheating on the exam.
老师当场抓住了考试作弊的学生。
用法提示：red-handed 修饰 caught，强调在作弊行为进行时被抓住。
AI contextual example
The burglar was caught red-handed in the middle of the robbery.
窃贼在抢劫过程中被当场抓获。
用法提示：red-handed 表示‘正在作案时被当场发现’。
AI contextual example
这是该词最常见的用法，red-handed 紧跟在宾语之后，说明某人做坏事时被当场抓住。
The guard caught the thief red-handed.
保安当场抓住了那个小偷。
变为被动后，red-handed 跟在 caught 之后，补充说明被抓住时的情形。
He was caught red-handed copying the exam answers.
他抄考试答案时被当场抓住。
find 也能用于这一结构，侧重发现某人正干着不光彩的事。
The manager found him red-handed at the cash register.
经理发现他正在收银台作案。
grammar · medium
易错句子The police caught the thief in red-handed.
正确表达The police caught the thief red-handed.
catch sb red-handed 是固定搭配，red-handed 在这里直接作补足成分，前面不能加介词 in。学习者受汉语“在……中”结构和“当场”这类介词短语的影响，容易硬塞一个介词，把形容词性短语误当成名词短语，因此必须删去 in。
grammar · medium
易错句子The guard caught him red-hand while he was taking the money.
正确表达The guard caught him red-handed while he was taking the money.
red-handed 是以 -ed 结尾的固定形容词形式，-ed 属于词形本身，不能省略；red-hand 并不是这个习语的词形。学习者误以为它像“red-hand”这样的名词复合词，从而漏掉了 -ed，需要补回才能构成合法形式。
两者都常与 caught 连用，但 caught red-handed 指当场被抓住正在作案；caught empty-handed 只指被抓时手上没有东西或没有收获，不表示犯罪。
形式相近，但 bare-handed 强调不戴手套或不用工具；red-handed 强调在作案现场被当场抓住。
拼写相近，但 red-blooded 形容人有活力、有男子气概，与犯罪或当场被抓无关。
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