red light
- noun
- /rɛd laɪt/
- Well, probably the, the biggest red light that I had to hit early on was the commercial side red light.
- flashing red light
So I'm hitting all the back roads right now with every single red light, with every stop sign, with every bump, speed bump.
- So I'm hitting all the back roads right now with every single red light, with every stop sign, with every bump, speed bump.
- After having an altercation at a red light with this Asian, he almost ran some people over because he was texting and driving.
Examples
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You still don't know what the red light means?
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However, I am suspicious of anyone who claims that the Bible is inerrant because that is a red light for me.
Blog text (3) -
So now every time you hear yourself using the word should, let a red light go off in your mind.
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The little red light on the top is on.
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That was a red light.
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The red light is on!
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And the feature I like the most, it warns you of red light cameras, not that I run red lights all that often.
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To a homicide detective, this was like a flashing red light and an alarm bell.
Fiction book (1997) -
They jogged a couple of blocks, arrived in the small red-light district adjacent to the spaceport, and saw the sign "Lucky Lou Enterprises, Ship Storage, Maintenance, and Repair."
Fiction book (1991) -
When the traffic signal shows a red light, cars must come to a complete stop.
Synonyms
A light that turns on in vehicles or machines to show a problem
A red cloth flown to warn people of danger
A sign that something dangerous may happen
Antonyms
How Urgent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a warning or signal to stop/proceed with caution' is directly derivable from combining 'red' (a color conventionally associated with danger/stop) and 'light' (a signal or lamp). This color‑signal composition is cross‑linguistically common and follows familiar traffic and warning conventions, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will generally understand both the literal and common figurative uses.
Etymology
Red light comes from that road signal: when people see a bright red light, they know danger or must stop, so the phrase is used as a short 'warning sign' to be careful or stop an action.