re red line via OED

[mark worden]

OED2 on CDv3::

Used to describe the British army, esp. in phr. name="1"thin red line; also
transf.

1855 F. Duberly Let. 8 June in E. E. P. Tisdall Mrs. Duberly's Campaigns
(1963) v. 147 They advance, supported by the impenetrable red line, our
infantry. 1877 W. H. Russell Brit. Exped. Crimea iii. ii. 156 The
Russians+dashed on towards that thin red line tipped with steel. 1890
Kipling Departm. Ditties (U.S. ed.) 61 It's 'Thin red line of 'eroes' when
the drums begin to roll. 1935 'G. Orwell' Clergyman's Daughter iv. 226
Napoleon Buonaparte+soon found that in the 'thin red line' he had more than
met his match. 1971 Guardian 24 Feb. 10/1 Trade unionists+are beginning to
give physical support to the Union of Post Office Workers as their 'thin red
line'. 1974 Times 19 Apr. 14 Home of the thin red (or khaki) lines.+ 'Home
of the British Army', say the road signs leading into Aldershot.

To circle or mark in red ink; freq. fig. (see quots.). Hence
name="1""red-lining vbl. n.; name="2""red-lined ppl. a.

1820 Keats Lamia & Other Poems 57 Why were they proud? Because red-lin'd
accounts Were richer than the songs of Grecian years? 1942 Yank 23 Sept.
14/1 Who is it the yardbird sees when he gets red-lined on the payroll for
signing his name wrong? 1945 Amer. Speech XX. 261 To redline a soldier is to
cross off his name on the payroll for a particular month because of an
improper signature or some other irregularity on anyone's part. 1961
Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 18 Jan. 4/1 The American Automobile
Association may 'red-line' Prince George county because of its policy toward
traffic violaters. 'Red-lining' is a method used by the AAA to warn
motorists of possible speed traps. 1966 Sunday Times (Colour Suppl.) 4 Dec.
73/3 [GI Jargon] Red-lined, cancelled or classified unserviceable. 1973
Times 7 Feb. 20/4 They found that Laurelton had been 'red-lined' by the
bank, which meant that it was not possible to get a normal mortgage. 1973
Black Panther X. xxviii. 4/4 'Red-lining' is a corrupt scheme whereby real
estate developers+arrange unofficial agreements with banks to have them
refuse to grant improvement loans for particular buildings. Eventually the
homes fall into a state of such disrepair that the owner is willing to sell
it. 1976 In Common VI. ii. 4/1 Common Cause Governing Board+voted CC support
of legislation aimed at discouraging 'redlining'-the practice by lending
institutions of discriminating arbitrarily against certain city
neighborhoods in making home mortgage loans. 1977 Listener 9 June 763/1 The
policy of so-called 'red-lining', that is, drawing a line round certain
undesirable areas and refusing to lend money on property within the red
line. 1979 N.Y. Times 24 Jan. b18/1 Redlining has an undeniable racial
component whereby redlined neighborhoods often coincide with nonwhite
neighborhoods. 1979 Verbatim Summer 2/2 To redline an aircraft, thus, is 'to
ground' it.



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