Street voices
Janna
·
United States
Just recorded
"A red flag is the complete opposite of a green flag. It's when someone does something that's not that good, you know, especially in a relationship manner, it might make you not want to be with that person, toxic behavior, one might say. An example would be, girl, when we went out to dinner last night, he literally snapped at the waiter. He was so rude and treated the waiter like he was below him. That's such a red flag."
What it means
A warning sign in a person or situation that tells you something is badly wrong and you should pay attention. Borrowed from racing and safety contexts into everyday relationship language, where it now means any behaviour or detail that signals trouble ahead. Social media turned it into an obsession, with people cataloguing red flags in potential partners with the thoroughness of a detective.
Usage examples
"He spent the whole first date talking about his ex. That is a massive red flag and she rang me straight after to debrief"
"He talked about his ex all night, which was a major red flag."
"The vague contract terms were a red flag we should not have ignored."
Where it comes from
A red flag has long been the universal signal of danger, flown on beaches, at races and on hazards to warn people off. Carried into everyday and especially dating talk, a red flag is a clear warning sign about a person or situation, a behaviour or detail that says proceed with caution or run. Spot enough red flags and you know to steer well clear before things go wrong.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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