see red
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see red
To fall into a state of extreme anger, excitement, or competitive arousal, such as might cloud one's judgement or senses. He's generally not a confrontational person, but you'd better get out of his way when he sees red! I see red when anyone disrespects my wife.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
see red
to be angry. Whenever I think of the needless destruction of trees, I see red. Bill really saw red when the tax bill arrived.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
see red
Become very angry, as in I saw red when I learned they had not invited Tom and his family. The precise allusion in this term is not known, but it probably refers to the longstanding association of the color red with passion and anger. [Colloquial; c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
see red
COMMON If you see red, you suddenly become very angry because of something which has been said or done. I cannot stand humiliation of any kind. I just see red. Comments like that make me see red. Note: This is a reference to the traditional belief that the colour red makes bulls angry. In bullfighting, the matador waves a red cape to make the bull charge.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
see red
become very angry suddenly. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
see ˈred
(informal) suddenly become very angry: Cruelty to animals makes him see red.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
see red
tv. to be angry. When she hung up the phone, I saw red. I’ve never been so angry in my life.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
see red, to
To give way to extreme anger. Some writers believe that this term, which dates from the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, alludes to the red cape waved by the matador to anger a bull. However, there is no real verification for this hypothesis, and the expression more likely reflects the long-standing association of the color red with blood, heat, and fire, in turn associated with anger. Agatha Christie used it in Death on the Nile (1937): “Why? Because she thinks I’m not her social equal! Pah—doesn’t that make you see red?”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer