red tape
The binding tape once used for holding important documents togetherThe binding tape once used for holding important documents together.
» I hope there's no more red tape.
Ich hoffe, das war’s erst mal mit der Bürokratie.
Meaning
2 senses(uncountable)The binding tape once used for holding important documents together.
(idiomatic, metonymically, uncountable)Time-consuming regulations or bureaucratic procedures.
All the red tape and paperwork that goes on there prevents any progress.
caught up in the red tape of officialdom
Amtsschimmel
бюрократи́змbjurokratízm, канцеля́рщинаkanceljárščina, волоки́таvolokíta
needlessly time-consuming procedure
Examples
18 sentencesI hope there's no more red tape.
deIch hoffe, das war’s erst mal mit der Bürokratie. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
Did you run into any bureaucratic red tape?
I hope we don't run into any bureaucratic red tape.
ruНадеюсь, мы не натолкнёмся ни на какие бюрократические препоны. — Wezel
I hope that we don't run into any bureaucratic red tape.
We need to cut red tape.
ruНам нужно прекратить волокиту. — Grigoriy
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Alluding to the former practice of binding government documents in red-colored tape. FirstAlluding to the former practice of binding government documents in red-colored tape. First use appears c. 1658 in the publication Public Intelligencer. See cite below.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Synonyms
4 synonyms- needlessly time-consuming procedure:bureaucratic procedure
Word family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable