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3. in the red

in the red

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*in the red

Fig. losing money. (*Typically: be ~; go [into] ~; as opposed to in the black.) State government has been operating in the red for five straight years. What with all those car repairs, we're going to be in the red this month.

See also: red

in the red

experiencing the situation of spending more money than you earned Tourism is down and many hotels are operating in the red. The phone company found itself about $1.8 billion in the red. Opposite of: in the black

See also: red

in the red

In debt, as in Joshua can't keep track of funds, so half the time his company is in the red. This expression alludes to the bookkeeping practice of marking debits in red ink and credits in black. It survives even in the age of computerized accounts. So does the antonym, in the black, for being financially solvent or out of debt, as in Bill was happy to say they were in the black. [Early 1900s]

See also: red