red ink
Financial loss.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The company is in the red ink again.”
“After a year of poor sales, the small business found itself drowning in red ink.”
“Despite the CEO's optimistic projections, the quarterly report revealed significant red ink that threatened the future of the entire organization.”
- 01
bleed red ink
To suffer from severe net losses.
- 02
clap one's hands red
To clap or applaud intensely.
- 03
cut red tape
To reduce bureaucracy.
- 04
get ink
To receive publicity.
- 05
ink in
to schedule in a calendar
- 06
neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring
Synonym of neither fish nor fowl (“not easily categorized; not rightly belonging or fitting well in a given group or situation; also, not having the advantages of the various options”).
- 07
paint the town red
To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.
- 08
put on the red light
To advertise oneself as a prostitute.
Last updated August 10, 2026