red rider
War, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The red rider brings war to the land.”
“In the ancient story, the red rider appears on the horizon to signal the start of a great conflict.”
“The prophecy describes the red rider as a harbinger of global strife, destined to strip peace from the earth and incite humanity toward total destruction.”
The term derives from a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in which the rider of the red horse represents War.
- 01
black rider
Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- 02
bleed red ink
To suffer from severe net losses.
- 03
clap one's hands red
To clap or applaud intensely.
- 04
cut red tape
To reduce bureaucracy.
- 05
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”).
- 06
paint the town red
To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.
- 07
pale rider
Death, the Grim Reaper or angel of death; and one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- 08
put on the red light
To advertise oneself as a prostitute.
Last updated August 10, 2026