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"Red tape" refers to excessive or rigid regulations and bureaucracy that hinder decision-making and slow down processes, often seen in governments, corporations, and large organizations. Examples include extensive paperwork, multiple approval layers, and complex rules that complicate tasks.
According to the National Archives Foundation in Washington, D.C., Americans first used the term “red tape” in reference to bureaucracy because of how difficult it was for Civil War veterans to obtain their tape-bound records in order to file pension claims.
Rigid or mechanical adherence to bureaucratic rules and regulations especially those involving unnecessary paperwork. What's the origin of the phrase 'Red tape'? Legal and official documents have been bound with red tape since the 17th century and continue to be so. The first reference I can find to this practice is the 1696-1715 Maryland Laws:
Aug 27, 2024 · Enter the Scottish author Thomas Carlyle, who in 1850 famously criticized what he called the “red-tape” establishments of the British government in his work “Latter Day Pamphlets.” Carlyle wasn’t just annoyed by the physical red tape binding documents; he was frustrated by the bureaucratic inefficiencies it had come to represent.
Dec 11, 2007 · Red tape is a derisive term for excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.
May 26, 2021 · It’s possible that red tape as a euphemism for complicated bureaucratic processes did become more common in the U.S. after the Civil War, when so many citizens experienced said processes...
The idiom “red tape” is commonly used to describe bureaucratic procedures that are unnecessarily complicated, time-consuming, and frustrating. However, the origins of this phrase are not entirely clear.
May 3, 2016 · Simon K. asks: Why do we call it “red tape” when there are a lot of needless obstacles and paperwork in getting something done in business and government? The practice of referring to “ excessive bureaucratic rigmarole ” as red tape dates back more than 400 years to the court of the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, Charles V (1500-1558).
Jan 11, 2018 · The noun red tape, meaning excessive bureaucracy or adherence to official rules and formalities, refers to the use of woven red tape to tie up bundles of legal documents and official papers; the literal meaning is first recorded in 1658, the figurative meaning in 1736.
Sep 22, 2021 · Red tape is the mindless adherence to bureaucratic rules and niceties that, to outsiders at least, seem pointless and time-wasting. The term comes from the red, cloth tape that was once used to bind stacks of papers in offices.
