We caught her dead to rights with the loot still on her.
•There he was, bang dead to rights with the smoking gun still in his hands.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
(bang) dead to rights — mod. in the act; [guilty] without question. □ We caught her dead to rights with the loot still on her. □ There he was, bang dead to rights with the gun still smoking … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
dead to rights bang — Go to (bang) dead to rights … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
bang (or N. Amer. dead) to rights — informal (of a criminal) with positive proof of guilt. → right … English new terms dictionary
dead to rights — adverb : without possibility of escape, excuse, or palliation (as from a charge of guilt) : red handed we had him dead to rights caught dead to rights on a bribery charge * * * informal in the act of doing something wrong; red handed … Useful english dictionary
Dead to rights (catch phrase) — 1. It is a British, American and Australian catch phrase meaning to have enough proof to show that someone has done something wrong. 2. To be caught red handed, in the very act of committing a crime or error. It implies that there is no possible… … Wikipedia
dead to rights — adv, adj American an American version of the British bang to rights. Dead to rights is probably the original form of the phrase, dating from the 19th century and now rarely, if ever, heard in Britain. ► Dead is used here in its common colloquial… … Contemporary slang
dead to rights — adverb With sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively. Because of the video replay, the ref had him dead to rights on the penalty. Syn: bang to rights, red handed … Wiktionary
have someone dead to rights — tv. to have caught someone red handed; to have irrefutable evidence about someone’s misdeed. (Have got can replace have. See also (bang) dead to rights.) □ We’ve got you dead to rights on this one. □ The cops had him dead to rights … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
bang to rights — 1. Orig, caught red handed (criminal sl) 2. Certainly, absolutely, no doubt (informal) • • • Main Entry: ↑bang * * * bang (or dead) to rights informal (of a criminal) with positive proof of guilt we ve … Useful english dictionary
dead bang — adv, adj American caught in flagrante or red handed. An American police version of dead to rights or the British bang to rights. I got you dead bang for breaking into Eddie s apartment. (The Rockford Files, US TV crime series, 1979) … Contemporary slang
bang to rights — adj, adv British caught red handed, without hope of escape. This 19th century expression (paralleled in American English by dead to rights) is usually heard in the form caught bang to rights or we ve got him/ her bang to rights (i.e. helpless,… … Contemporary slang
