red tape
56 synonyms found
- afterthought
- beadledom
- beat
- beaten path
- bind
- block
- blockage
- bumbledom
- bureaucracy
- bureaucratic delay
- bureaucratism
- chinoiserie
- daily grind
- delay
- delayage
- delayed reaction
- detention
- double take
- dragging
- grind
- halt
- hang-up
- hindrance
- holdup
- interim
- jog trot
- lag
- lagging
- logjam
- moratorium
- official jargon
- officialism
- paperasserie
- red-tapeism
- red-tapery
- reprieve
- respite
- retardance
- retardation
- round
- run
- rut
- slow-up
- slowdown
- slowness
- squirrel cage
- stay
- stay of execution
- stop
- stoppage
- tie-up
- time lag
- track
- treadmill
- wait
- well-worn groove
Definition
(n) :
a derisive term for regulations or bureaucratic procedures that are considered excessive or excessively time- and effort-consuming
"all the red tape and paperwork that goes on there prevents any progress."