• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Term “Red Tape” Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?

How Did the Term “Red Tape” Originate and What Does the Expression Mean?

April 12, 2020 by Karen Hill

English monarchs used to write legal decrees on rolls of parchment and then bind them up with red silk ribbons.

To give their work an important appearance, government bureaucrats copied the “red tape” practice. Not to be outdone, lawyers followed with ribbons of their own.

The expression took hold after Charles Dickens described the frustration of dealing with governmental and legal bungling as “cutting through red tape.”

And that’s why governmental and legal delays are called “red tape”.

Related Facts

  • How do tape manufacturers roll up a roll of Scotch tape?
  • What is a “Ticker Tape Parade” and How Did the New York Tradition Originate?
  • The Best 20 Inventions Ever Invented
  • Why Is Scotch Tape Transparent When Pulled From a Roll Quickly But When Pulled Slowly It’s Opaque?
  • Why Are Primary Colors Blue, Green, and Red In Science But Blue, Yellow, and Red In Art Class?
  • How did Scotch Tape get its name and Where did it originate?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Does the Phrase “Bob’s Your Uncle” Mean and Where Did the Expression Come From?
Next Post: Where Did the Expression “Deep Six” Come From and What Does the Phrase Mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy