in the red

red

1 [red] noun, adjective, red·der, red·dest.
noun
1.
any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nm.
2.
something red.
3.
( often initial capital letter ) a radical leftist in politics, especially a communist.
4.
Informal. red light ( def 1 ).
5.
Informal. red wine: a glass of red.
6.
Also called red devil, red bird. Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color.
adjective
7.
of the color red.
8.
having distinctive areas or markings of red: a red robin.
9.
of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness: the red column in the ledger.
10.
radically left politically.
11.
( often initial capital letter ) communist.
12.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples: no longer in technical use.
00:10
In the red is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
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Idioms
13.
in the red, operating at a loss or being in debt ( opposed to in the black ): The newspaper strike put many businesses in the red.
14.
paint the town red. paint ( def 16 ).
15.
see red, Informal. to become very angry; become enraged: Snobs make her see red.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English red, Old English rēad; cognate with German rot, Dutch rood, Old Norse raudhr, Latin rūfus, ruber, Greek erythrós; see rubella, rufescent, erythro-

Related forms
red·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
red1 (rɛd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  any of a group of colours, such as that of a ripe tomato or fresh blood, that lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to orange, and are perceived by the eye when light in the approximate wavelength range 740--620 nanometres falls on the retina. Red is the complementary colour of cyan and forms a set of primary colours with blue and greenRelated: rubicund, ruddy
2.  a pigment or dye of or producing these colours
3.  red cloth or clothing: dressed in red
4.  a red ball in snooker, billiards, etc
5.  (in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being black
6.  archery Also called: inner a red ring on a target, between the blue and the gold, scoring seven points
7.  informal in the red in debit; owing money
8.  informal see red to become very angry
 
—adj , redder, reddest
9.  of the colour red
10.  reddish in colour or having parts or marks that are reddish: red hair; red deer
11.  having the face temporarily suffused with blood, being a sign of anger, shame, etc
12.  (of the complexion) rosy; florid
13.  (of the eyes) bloodshot
14.  (of the hands) stained with blood, as after committing murder
15.  bloody or violent: red revolution
16.  (of wine) made from black grapes and coloured by their skins
17.  denoting the highest degree of urgency in an emergency; used by the police and the army and informally (esp in the phrase red alert)
18.  (US) Compare blue relating to, supporting, or representing the Republican Party
 
—vb , redder, reddest, reds, redding, redded
19.  another word for redden
 
Related: rubicund, ruddy
 
[Old English rēad; compare Old High German rōt, Gothic rauths, Latin ruber, Greek eruthros, Sanskrit rohita]
 
'redly1
 
—adv
 
'redness1
 
—n

red2 (rɛd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb , reds, redding, red, redded
(tr) a variant spelling of redd

Red (rɛd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  Communist, Socialist, or Soviet
2.  radical, leftist, or revolutionary
 
—n
3.  a member or supporter of a Communist or Socialist Party or a national of a state having such a government, esp the former Soviet Union
4.  a radical, leftist, or revolutionary
 
[C19: from the colour chosen to symbolize revolutionary socialism]

redd or red1 (rɛd) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (often foll by up) , redds, redding, redd, redded
1.  to bring order to; tidy (up)
 
—n
2.  the act or an instance of redding
 
[C15 redden to clear, perhaps a variant of rid]
 
red or red1
 
—vb
 
—n
 
[C15 redden to clear, perhaps a variant of rid]
 
'redder or red1
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

red
O.E. read, from P.Gmc. *rauthaz (cf. O.N. rauðr, Dan. rød, O.Fris. rad, M.Du. root, Ger. rot, Goth. rauþs), from PIE base *reudh- (cf. L. ruber, also dial. rufus "light red," mostly of hair; Gk. erythros; Skt. rudhira-; Avestan raoidita-; O.C.S. rudru, Pol. rumiany, Rus. rumjanyj "flushed,
red," of complexions, etc.; Lith. raudas; O.Ir. ruad, Welsh rhudd, Bret. ruz "red"). The only color for which a definite common PIE root word has been found. The surname Read/Reid retains the original O.E. long vowel pronunciation. The color as characteristic of "British possessions" on a map, is attested from 1916. The red flag was used as a symbol of defiance in battle on land or sea from 1602. To see red "get angry" is an Amer.Eng. expression first recorded 1900. Red light as a sign to stop is from 1849, long before traffic signals. As the sign of a brothel, it is attested from 1900. As a children's game (in ref. to the traffic light meaning) it is recorded from 1953. Red-letter day (c.1385) was originally a saint's day, marked on church calendars in red letters. Red ball signifying "express" in railroad jargon is 1927, from the red ball mounted on a pole as a controlling signal. Red-blooded "vigorous, spirited" is recorded from 1877. Red dog, type of U.S. football pass rush, is recorded from 1959. Red shift in spectography is first recorded 1923. Red carpet "sumptuous welcome" is from 1934, but the custom for dignitaries is described as far back as Aeschylus (e.g. "Agamemnon").

red
"Bolshevik," 1917, from red (1), the color they adopted for themselves. Association in Europe of red with revolutionary politics (on notion of blood and violence) is from at least 1297, but got a boost 1793 with adoption of the red Phrygian cap (Fr. bonnet rouge) as symbol of
the Fr. Revolution. First specific political reference in Eng. was 1848 (adj.), in news reports of the Second French Republic (a.k.a. Red Republic). The noun meaning "radical, communist" is from 1851.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

r abbr.
racemic

R abbr.

  1. radical (usually an alkyl or aryl group)

  2. respiration

  3. respiratory exchange ratio

  4. or r roentgen

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
r  
Abbreviation of radius
R  
The symbol for resistance.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

in the red

In debt, as in Joshua can't keep track of funds, so half the time his company is in the red. This expression alludes to the bookkeeping practice of marking debits in red ink and credits in black. It survives even in the age of computerized accounts. So does the antonym, in the black, for being financially solvent or out of debt, as in Bill was happy to say they were in the black. [Early 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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