# dead to rights

> English word · Adverb

## Definitions
1. With sufficient evidence to establish responsibility definitively.

## Etymology
US, 1854, originally New York City criminal slang, thence entered general use. dead (“completely, utterly”) + to rights (“properly”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dead-to-rights