Where does the phrase, "Cut through the red tape" come from? Well, in a time before file folders, file cabinets and the easy access to paper, legal documents were kept by rolling or folding them up and tying them with a red cloth ribbon.
Thick legal documents were bound or tied with red cloth tape so when someone spoke of cutting through the red tape, they meant it in a very literal sense.
Kings would have important documents signed and wrapped up with red ribbon and red wax dripped on it to seal it. The king would press his seal ring into the soft wax. The recipient would then know if the document had been tampered with if the ribbon was cut or the seal broken.
Henry VIII besieged Pope Clement VII with around eighty or so petitions for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Guess what those petitions were wrapped and sealed with? Red tape.
Today we mean excessive regulations, rigid adherence to pointless bureaucratic regulations and procedures; unnecessary and time consuming paperwork; obstacles that delay results. We want to cut through the red tape and get to the core of the matter and act straight away.
legal documents were kept by rolling or folding them up and tying them with a red cloth ribbon.Keep up the good works
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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