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Glite Dictionary
redeye flight

redeye flight

1 4.2
A late night plane trip that arrives the next morning and leaves you tired
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛdˌaɪ ˈflaɪt/
translation icon : vuelo nocturno
  • I booked a redeye flight that leaves at midnight and arrives the next morning.

The reason I get inspired to take overnight redeye flights to an event like this is this is a lot of people that know it's this close.

Examples

  • Many travelers prefer a redeye flight because it saves a day of travel time.

  • And I booked us both on tonight's redeye flight.

    The Kiss (1988)

  • All weekend: worrying that Hurricane Sandy does not screw up my Monday redeye flight to New York.

    Blog text (24)

  • The reason I get inspired to take overnight redeye flights to an event like this is this is a lot of people that know it's this close.

    GaryVee

  • So, earlier today, after a redeye flight back from teaching on the West Coast, I drove over to the shipping office and picked up my package from Lou.

    Blog text (24)

  • I took some pictures with me in them, but given that I had just flown in on a stressful redeye flight, I don't want to show them to you :)

    Blog text (27)

  • Maybe the Wiz Kids were sluggish because this was their last game in Las Vegas—the fifth game in six days with a Wednesday night redeye flight back to Washington awaiting them.

    Blog text (32)

  • After my redeye flight from California, I felt exhausted but excited to be in New York.

Synonyms

red-eye
vsredeye flight
11 6.2

An overnight flight that leaves late and often makes you tired

refers mainly to the flight not the resulting weary state
redeye
vsredeye flight
5 7.5

An overnight flight when people often get little sleep and arrive tired

focuses more on the flight timing and general tiredness rather than physical symptom
red eye
vsredeye flight
1 3.6

A late-night flight that arrives early the next morning

is the identical flight idea presented in a different term form

How Tiring

redeye flight
1 4.2
to overnight
5 3.2
day return
  • UK
1 2.3

Surface Forms

redeye flight singular
redeye flights plural

Morphology

redeye + flight

The phrase 'redeye flight' is based on the metaphor of 'red eye' (eyes reddened by fatigue) applied to a flight that causes tiredness because it operates overnight. While a learner who knows 'red', 'eye' and 'flight' can plausibly infer a connection to tiredness and nighttime travel, the specific sense 'late-night/overnight flight arriving next morning' is metaphorical and not fully predictable without exposure. Therefore it is partially transparent rather than fully compositional.

Etymology

The phrase redeye flight may come from the image of a plane that flies at night and leaves passengers with red eyes because they could not sleep. That's why it now means 'a late-night or overnight flight'.