Idiom of the Day
red tape
繁文縟節
Today: Thu, 26 Nov 2020
Meaning:
Strict adherence to rules and regulations so that a procedure seems to take longer than necessary.
嚴格遵守規則和規章,因此過程似乎比必要的時間更長。
For example:
It takes a long time to set up a company in some countries because of all the red tape involved in getting government permits.
由於要獲得政府許可需要繁瑣的手續,因此在某些國家/地區建立公司需要很長時間。
It took two weeks to get visas for our aid workers because of all the red tape.
由於繁瑣的手續,花了兩個星期我們的支援人員才能拿到籤證。
Origin:
Probably related to the fact that bundles of official government documents are often tied together with red tape.
可能與一捆官方政府文件經常用red tape捆綁在一起的事實有關。
Quick Quiz
The red tape makes getting government approval take
a. a long time
b. a short time
c. a good time