| 词源 |
wave a red flag at a bull. Though the bullfight matador waves his traditional red-lined cape to make the bull charge, it is the motion of the cape, not the color, that irritates the animal, as bulls are colorblind. Nevertheless, the image of the red cape long ago inspired the expression to wave a red flag at a bull, meaning to provoke or enrage someone. Cloth or rag are some- times substituted for flag in the phrase. |