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redtapism

 - 3 dictionary results

red tape

 
Use redtapism in a Sentence
–noun
excessive formality and routine required before official action can be taken.
Origin:
1730–40; after the red tape used to tie official documents

Related forms:
redtapism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

red tape

Administrative procedures, especially in a bureaucracy, that are marked by complexity and delay: “Red tape delayed his passport.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

red tape 
"excessive bureaucratic rigmarole," 1736, in allusion to the red tape formerly used in Great Britain (and the Amer. colonies) for binding up legal and other official documents.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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