red tape
Meaning
- (uncountable) The binding tape once used for holding important documents together.
- (idiomatic, metonymically, uncountable) Time-consuming regulations or bureaucratic procedures.
Synonyms
bureaucratic procedure
bureaucratic bungling
bureaucratic routine
Translations
burocracia
burocracia
Bürokratismus
γραφειοκρατία
burocrazia Schreibarbeit
Impôt_papier Tâches administratives impôt papier -Etymology
Alluding to the former practice of binding government documents in red-colored tape. First use appears c. 1658 in the publication Public Intelligencer. See cite below.
Notes
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