# What does ‘see red’ mean?

To “see red” means to become suddenly very angry. The phrase is 19th-century English; the popular link to bullfighters' red capes is folk etymology (bulls are colour-blind), but the imagery survives.

## What it means

- The phrase is 19th-century English; the popular link to bullfighters' red capes is folk etymology (bulls are colour-blind), but the imagery survives.

## Action steps

1. Everyday description of anger.
2. Example: When she saw the damage, she saw red.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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Published: 2026-07-18T04:16:36.003615+00:00
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Last verified: 2026-07-18
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