ESL Blogs

It's been a while since I post a blog under the 'Did You Know?' series. So here it comes for the first 'Did You Know?' series in 2014. It's all about the colour red.

1. Caught Red Handed

The meaning of caught red handed is to be caught in the act of committing a misdemeanour with the evidence. The origin of the phrase can be traced back to the Scotland in the 15th century. It was believed to refer to people who had been caught with blood for murders or poaching.

The phrase 'red hand' was first mentioned in Scottish Act of Parliament of James I written in 1462. After that it appeared in many Scottish legal proceedings. It became widely used after it's being used in Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in 1819.

Example of a sentence using 'caught red handed' is "WMW was caught red handed trying to pass a take out dinner as her own cooking when Sima found the take out boxes in the trash can"

2. As Red As Carpaccio

Carpaccio is an Italian word as well as an Italian dish of raw meat such as beef, veal or venison; or fish such as salmon or tuna, and mainly served as appetizer. The dish was named after an Italian painter Vitorre Carpaccio who loved the colour red and white in his paintings. 

3. Red Herring

Red herring is an idiom which referring to something that misleads or distracting from the relevant information or issues. There are various theories on the origins of this idiom. One of the theories was that in 1800s, fugitives would a herring across their trail, which diverted the attention of bloodhounds that were pursuing them.

Another similar theory was from the practice of using the oily and smelly herrings to lay false trails for hunting dogs. 

Example of a sentence using 'red herring' is "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle loved to throw a few red herring in his novels to keep readers guessing".

Click here for more examples of usage of red herring in different circumstances.

You may add other idioms/phrases/sayings which contain the colour red, and I will add it in this blog.

Additional idioms/phrases which had been added by EC Members:-

1. Roll out the red carpet (Luzzi) - to give someone some treatment befitting royalty or it also means to give someone, most of the time someone important, a special treatment.

2. Red-letter day (Anele) - means a significant or an important day

3. Red card (Barbare) - means that being sent off from a field/game

4. Red-faced (Expector Smith) - means flushed with embarrassment or anger

5. Red-blooded (Mr. Bob) - means strong and highly spirited. It also can connote vigorous or virile.

6. Paint the town red (Galina) - means to go out (party) and enjoy oneself enormously or flamboyantly.

7. Red tape (BalaSheila) - means excessive of bureaucracy or adherence to official rules and formalities.

8. Red as cherry (Galina) - means bright red

9. Go beet red/Go as red as beet (Galina) - means to become very red in the face, usually because you're embarrassed. 

10. Thin red line (Libor Kocian) - means line drawed on map/line of touch with enemy - military operational level

My other Did You Know? series:-

1. Did You Know?;  2. Continuation;  3. Another Continuation;  4. Not Another Continuation!; 5. Gosh! Will It Never Ends?;  6. Oh No! Not Another One!;  7. Here Comes Another One;  8. Another One?;  9. One, Two, Eighty Six?; 10. Punishment? OMG!; 11. Is This A Swan Song?;  12 John Has It All?; 13. It's All In The Myth;  14. This Is Random;  15. It's A Dog's World;  16.  It's Also A Cat's World;  17. Is It A Mouse World Too?;  18. Dutch Flavour;  19. It's The Greek Flavour;  20. It's All Greek;  21. All That Gold; 22. It's A Horsey Year