code red
50
6.5
- noun
- /koʊd rɛd/
- Jargon
- We've got a code red.
- code red alert
- code red emergency
- order the code red
Loading YouTube…
Watch on YouTubeIt's at a, you know, code red type state right now.
- It's at a, you know, code red type state right now.
- What else is wrong in the, you know, the the UN secretary general's announcement of a code red for humanity?
- So given this huge external shock factor, inflation went from being a code yellow issue to being a code red issue.
Examples
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Repeat, Code Red in progress.
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What are civilians doing here during a code red?
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Security, we have a code red.
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We got a code red.
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We have a Code Red!
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Danny, we have a code red.
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I repeat, this is a code red, not a drill.
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We have a code red in-cabin emergency.
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This is now a code-red situation.
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The principal announced a code red lockdown due to a reported threat on campus.
Synonyms
∞
1.3
A sudden dangerous situation that needs quick action
324
2.8
A warning that something dangerous or important may happen
31
4.7
A strong warning that serious danger is coming and people must act now
1
9.3
A short time when a company or team must act quickly to avoid big loss
How Urgent
- Formal
50
3.6
- Jargon
50
6.5
324
2.8
138
1.0
- Literature
38
4.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'code' (a signal/system of alerts) and 'red' (a colour associated with danger) combine to give a plausible meaning of a danger/alert signal, so a learner who knows both words can likely infer a general urgent-alert sense. However, the fixed institutional usage (formal emergency designation requiring immediate action) is a convention rather than a purely compositional meaning, so full interpretation depends on exposure. For these reasons the item is partially but not fully predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Code red comes from places like hospitals and the military that use short color codes to warn people. In those systems code is the warning word and red stands for danger, so code red now means 'a serious or urgent emergency'.