red tape

英語

Bundle of US pension documents from 1906 bound in red tape
一捆用紅帶子捆起來的1906年的美國養老金文件

詞源

一般認為指以前用紅帶子將政府文件綁起來的習慣。

發音

• （澳洲）音頻：

  (檔案)

名詞

red tape (不可數)

1. 曾用來將重要文件捆起來的紅膠帶
   • Template:RQ:Besant Ivory Gate

     At twilight in the summer there is never anybody to fear—man, woman, or cat—in the chambers and at that hour the mice come out. They do not eat parchment or foolscap or red tape, but they eat the luncheon crumbs.

2. (轉喻義，俗語) 繁文縟節，繁雜的手續

   近義詞：administrivia、administrativia、paperwork

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

   那邊要辦一大堆手續，工作根本沒法繼續。

   • 2022年10月5日, David Wallace-Wells, 「Progressives Should Rally Around a Clean Energy Construction Boom」, 出自 The New York Times‎^[1]:

     One conspicuous cost of the compromise reached was a promise made by Senator Chuck Schumer to Manchin on what was vaguely called permitting reform: a catchall phrase referring to a whole host of efforts to cut red tape and ease the rollout of energy infrastructure.

     （請為本引文添加中文翻譯）

用法說明

• 比喻義一般使用加長構式cutting [through] red tape、bound up in red tape。

衍生詞彙

• red-tapism
• red-tapist

 

異序詞

• adepter, pad-tree, pre-date, predate, readept, retaped, tapered