Meanings
- Synonym of red rag to a bull.
Yes, his mocking stung, but he hadn't cowed her; he'd just waved a red flag in front of a bull.
2012, Kresley Cole, Lothaire3 more examples
That message always acted like a red flag to a bull and they charged in, determined to hog-tie him and put a wedding ring through his nose.
2007, Georgina Gentry, To Love a Texan, page 63Of course his complicated financial dealings must have been a direct provocation to the IRS, a red flag in front of a bull.
2008, John Calvert, Another Sort of LifeTo a committed individualist such as Norton, this was truly a case of “waving a red flag at a bull,” and although there was undeniably a certain amount of overblown and probably mock-offended rhetoric in her response, equally there is no doubt that many of the objections she raised were her sincerely held opinions
2012, Henrik Bogdan, Martin P. Starr, Aleister Crowley and Western EsotericismSynonyms: red rag to a bull
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of red rag to a bull.
Origin
A metaphor for the muleta used by bullfighters.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
red flag in front of a bull. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20flag%20in%20front%20of%20a%20bull
“red flag in front of a bull.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20flag%20in%20front%20of%20a%20bull. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “red flag in front of a bull,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20flag%20in%20front%20of%20a%20bull.
Source: red flag in front of a bull on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.