Search for crossword answers and clues
Bureaucracy gradually reduced, switching parts around
Answer for the clue "Bureaucracy gradually reduced, switching parts around ", 8 letters:
red tape
Alternative clues for the word red tape
Word definitions for red tape in dictionaries
Wikipedia
Word definitions in Wikipedia
Red tape is a derisive term for excessive bureaucratic regulation. Red tape or Red Tape may also refer to: "Red Tape" (song) , a song by French singer Amanda Lear "Red Tape," a song by American hardcore punk group Circle Jerks Red Tape (album) , an album ...
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. needlessly time-consuming procedure [syn: bureaucratic procedure ]
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"excessive bureaucratic rigmarole," 1736, in reference to the red tape formerly used in Great Britain (and the American colonies) for binding up legal and other official documents, mentioned from 1690s.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tape \Tape\, n. [AS. t[ae]ppe a fillet. Cf. Tapestry , Tippet .] A narrow fillet or band of cotton or linen; a narrow woven fabric used for strings and the like; as, curtains tied with tape. A tapeline; also, a metallic ribbon so marked as to serve as a ...
Usage examples of red tape.
Plod are so busy working their paper or playing Twister with rolls of red tape that wankers like Mick have free rein to bash the vulnerable and frighten the horses.
He was deep inside himself I guessed that he was looking at the red tape and rule books that had allowed so many criminals to make their living from the suffering of others and get away with it.