see red

Meaning

Verb

• To become enraged, angry, or irritated.
• To receive a red card, and be dismissed from the playing field.

Origin

• Possibly from the red flag used in some historic armies to signal the imminence of battle, or from the red cloth used to enrage bulls in Spanish bullfighting, or more generally from the idea of red as a colour of warning and danger. Compare corresponding idioms in several European languages: French voir rouge, German rotsehen, etc.