When you want to do something, but it'd be a pain in the ass because of many complications.
I'd love to kill my boss, but there'd be too much red tape involved
by Jay February 14, 2004
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government procedures, forms, etc
I'm sick of all this red tape.
by Light Joker April 16, 2007
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In the 17th century of the UK, The governments use the red tape to save the official material. This bureaucratic process was bothering them so, gradually RED TAPE began to be used it as a metaphor for formal procedures.
In my opinion, this procedure is too complicated
Let's cut the red tape
by HUHhyun August 7, 2018
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When your boss hates your guts or envies your smarts that he requires you to go through an oppressively time-consuming sequence of procedures before you can get approval to do something, especially when you are filing for a vacation leave.
My boss sent me through a whole-day worth of red tape to get approval on a half-day vacation.
by ProblemEmployee June 18, 2008
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rhymes with rape and is considered a synonym of rape by most people.
"Dude I heard Mikey T tried to red tape Mary"
"no way dude that's gross!"
by Tienez April 23, 2010
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red tape is an expression that arose from a technological innovation. The red tape directly refering to the leader tape found in many reel to reel tape recorders and small compact cassetes. As there can be no sound recorded on this portion of the tape it was considered frustrating and often likened to bureaucracy when one had to wait for the end of the red tape to hear what was recorded on the tape Hence The expression red tape and or cut through the red tape or cut to the chase
All that bureaucracy, its just red tape they could proceed so much faster if they wanted. Cut through the red tape
by Blood Fire February 21, 2007
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An infamous porn tape. Introduced to the world in Dane Cook's HBO show, Tourgasm.
by Nate X. August 14, 2006
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