see red

Meaning

1. To become enraged, angry, or irritated.
2. To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.

Synonyms

anger

💢

look to

see to

look towards

grow furious

Etymology

Cognate with Danish: se rødt

Cognate with German: rotsehen

Cognate with French: voir rouge

In summary

Possibly from the red flag used in some historic armies to signal the imminence of battle, or from the red cloth used to enrage bulls in Spanish bullfighting, or more generally from the idea of red as a colour of warning and danger. Compare corresponding idioms in several European languages: Danish se rødt, German rotsehen, French voir rouge, etc.