see red
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.25 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To become enraged, angry, or infuriated.
verb
To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.
Example Sentences
- ""So help me, God," he cried, "when I think it all over I go crazy, I see red.""
- "Nothing but his temper, the lack of self-control that made him see red . . ., had kept Jerry out of a world championship."
- ""It makes me see red when I remember these folk, Lady This and Countess That, declaring all the comfort they have had, and then leaving those who gave it to die in the gutter or rot in the workhouse.""
- "Diop, sometimes criticized for passive play, saw red once this season when he lashed out at a foe who kicked away his legs."
- "Kalinic later saw red for a rash tackle on Paul Scharner before Gabriel Tamas was dismissed for bringing down Diouf."
Etymology
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.