English

Etymology
Thought to allude to the former practice of binding government documents in red-coloured tape

Noun
red tape uncountable
wikipedia

1. idiom A derisive term for regulations or bureaucratic procedures that are considered excessive or excessively time- and effort-consuming.

#:All the red tape and paperwork that goes on there prevents any progress.

Translations
trans-top|excessive bureaucracy
German: Amtsschimmel
trans-bottom

da:red tape
hu:red tape
pl:red tape
zh:red tape

• 2007-07-28 00:06 - Doug Hockin - Use standard wikipedia tag

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