in the red

English

Etymology

From the standard accounting practice of using red ink to denote negative values, especially a net loss. The first known written use of the phrase is from the "Wise-crack dictionary" (1926) by George H. Maines and Bruce Grant.[1]

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Prepositional phrase

in the red

1. (idiomatic, accounting) Having net losses; in debt.

   The figures are going to be in the red this year.

Synonyms

• in the hole

Antonyms

• in the black

Translations

in debt

• Finnish: miinuksen puolella
• French: dans le rouge
• German: in den roten Zahlen, in den Roten
• Italian: essere al verde (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Japanese: 赤字 (ja) (akaji)
• Korean: 적자 (ko) (jeokja)
• Russian: в долгах (v dolgax)
• Thai: ติดหนี้ (dtìt nêe), เป็นหนี้ (bpen nêe)

Anagrams

• nithered