Etymology

bang to rights

Today it means: Red-handed, (caught) in the act. Full definition →

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bang to rights · adverb1

From bang (“completely”) + to rights (“properly”). Originally US; attested from the start of the 20th century.

bang to rights · verb2

From reinterpretation of bang (“completely”) as bang (“to handle noisily or violently”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.