Little other than a red tape Talking-machine, and unhappy Bag of Parliamentary Eloquence.
Thomas Carlysle, 1795-1881, Scottish philosopher and satirist, proponent of the Great Man Theory of historical impact; from Latter Day Pamphlets.
The term “red tape” is thought to originate with 16th century Spanish emperor Charles V, and his administration’s use of red cord or ribbon to signify documents requiring more urgent processing than those bound with regular ribbon. Official Vatican documents are also bound with red.
Modern use of the term probably stems from veteran’s records from the American Civil War, which were bound with red tape and notoriously inaccessible.
1 Comment
And now the “Red Tape” has found a home in Scottsdale, Arizona.