Idioms Have Stories

When Red Is Not a Color

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Photo by Tyler McRobert on Unsplash

I think red is the brightest color in the rainbow. But red is not always a color. Many times when we use the word “red,” it has strayed from its source.

For example, when I say I see red, I am not seeing the color. I am angry. The phrase “see red” began around 1900, but experts are uncertain about its roots. Some maintain the phrase has its roots in the red cape toreadors use to enrage a bull. Others say the phrase exists because people’s faces turn red when they are angry. Still others say it’s related to armies using a red flag to signal they are on the verge of battle.

And the term “red flag” doesn’t always mean a color either. Many flags are actually red: a ship carrying munitions flies a red flag. A red flag comes out when wildfire danger looms, when an army does live-fire exercises, and when an auto race has stopped.

These actual red flags are probably the root for the more general and widespread meaning: a sign a problem needs attention. When my husband falls silent after I make a suggestion, it is a red flag, signaling he disagrees with me.

The phrase Red Flag, with capital letters, however, can indicate an actual red flag. In politics it symbolizes socialism, communism, Marxism, and anarchism. A Red Flag has been associated with left-wing politics since the French Revolution (1789–1799).

In the 1950s, one popular slogan equated the color red with Communism. One side of the political spectrum claimed “Better Red than dead,” meaning they preferred communism to nuclear war. The other side maintained the opposite: “Better dead than Red.”

Being in the red means a business is losing money. Around 1900, accountants used red ink to enter debit items in their bookkeeping. And soon the term expanded to refer to businesses that were losing money. (When I was still in the red on the most recent book I published, I didn’t see red about it.)

Red tape no longer refers to the color of tape at all. When frustrated by excessive government requirements, people say their project is bogged down in red tape. The phrase has its origin in actual red tape. In the 1500s Holy Roman Emperor Charles V used red tape to bind important documents, and by the 1700s, many legal and official documents in both Great Britain and the United States were bound with red tape. Now the term condemns unnecessary bureaucratic rigmarole.

A red-light district — an area of the city with a concentration of sex workers—may or may not have red lights. But the term originated in the 1800s when brothel owners used red gaslights to alert potential customers. And in the Netherlands, where prostitution is legal indoors, but not on the city streets, sex workers do indeed use red lights to signal the nature of their services.

A red herring — a ploy to distract someone’s attention from a goal — had its roots in dog training. Hunters trained their hounds to follow a scent by dragging a herring, which turns reddish when smoked, along the ground, leaving a strong smell for the dogs to follow. Later, people opposed to fox hunting dragged red herrings across the fox trail to entice the hounds away from the fox.

“A red-letter day” had its beginnings in the Roman calendar where important days were listed in red. In the 1400s, the medieval church listed its feast days and saints’ days in red on its calendars. Red-letter days were days for official feasting and celebration. People soon began calling their personal days of achievement and celebration red-letter days as well.

Finally, some partygoers, when they are planning a night of celebration, say they are going to paint the town red. The town of Melton Mowbray in England claims credit for the phrase, saying in 1837 the Marquess of Waterford went on a wild spree of vandalism with his friends, which included painting a statue, some house doors, and a tollgate red. Others say this makes a good legend for tourists, but the term actually originated in the United States in the 1880s when reveling cowboys who were shooting up a town warned residents they would paint the town red with blood if anyone tried to stop them. Regardless of the origin of the phrase, no one who says it today intends to take up a paintbrush and put it to work.

Come to think of it, even when red is being used as a color, it doesn’t always refer to the same shade. A redhead’s hair isn’t a true red; it’s auburn.

Carol is the author of thirteen books and writes a column for several Iowa newspapers. She has an MA in theater arts and is available for reading performances of her writing on aging, moments in her gardens, memories, reflections both serious and humorous and other topics.