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red tape
noun
- excessive formality and routine required before official action can be taken.
red tape
noun
- obstructive official routine or procedure; time-consuming bureaucracy
red tape
1- Bureaucratic procedures that delay progress: “Paula had hoped to settle the inheritance quickly but got caught up in a lot of red tape.”
red tape
2- Administrative procedures, especially in a bureaucracy , that are marked by complexity and delay: “Red tape delayed his passport.”
Other 51Թ Forms
- ti noun
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of red tape1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of red tape1
Idioms and Phrases
Official forms and procedures, especially those that are complex and time-consuming. For example, There's so much red tape involved in approving our remodeling that we're tempted to postpone it indefinitely . This expression alludes to the former British custom of tying up official documents with red ribbon. [Early 1800s]Example Sentences
“It’s micromanagement at its worst, creating more red tape when park staff are already stretched dangerously thin and dealing with peak visitation season,” Brengel said.
The White House said adjustments had been made to account for red tape and currency manipulation.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the pilot would ensure the hospitality industry had "the conditions to grow" and was not "tied down by unnecessarily burdensome red tape".
Ministers are pushing their "agenda for growth" at every opportunity, calling for red tape to be cut to pave the way for investment.
We were promised lower bills, better infrastructure, less red tape and investment in a system fraying at the edges.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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