I didn’t see this answered over at The Word Detective and my Google search has so far proven fruitless, so let me ask here: What is the history of the phrase “seeing red” to denote anger?
One guess I have is that it refers to the myth that bulls become enraged at the sight of red (I say “myth” because bulls are, I believe, color-blind and are simply reacting to the motion of the bullfighter’s cape, which just so happens to traditionally be red).
Another guess is that it means that somebody is so mad that they are boiling (i.e., “red”) hot.
Of course, another guess is simply that when people are truly angry, perhaps they really do have red vision (I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never gotten that angry).
Anybody know the straight dope?
Barry
