This idiom is thought to derive from the eighty or more annulment petitions Henry VIII sent Pope Clement VII regarding his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. This superfluous bundle of papers can be seen wrapped in red tape in a photo from Saints and Sinners, a History of The Popes by Eamon Duffy.
The term "red tape" doesn't come literature, but from history. In the 1300's documents/letters were sent by hand so a red tape was wrapped around the folded document/letter and sealing wax was used across the opening of document. When it arrived to the person who was getting it and they found the seal broken they knew that someone had read the letter/document. That is why today the term is used that things are tied up in "red tape."
The term has been in use since the 17th Century when legal documents were bound or tied in red tape
"Red Tape" is not red, or even tape - it is a colloquial expression meaning "sluggish, plodding bureaucracy". To repeat: It is just an expression - it has nothing to do with "tape", red or otherwise.
Any time you have paper work that you must do for some reason that is "red tape." The term comes from the 1500's when important papers were sealed with sealing wax and bound with red tape to show that they hadn't been tampered with or looked at. If the red tape and sealing wax was broken the person who got the papers knew that they had been seen, changed, or used in some way.
It is red tape.
Red tape refers to excessive bureaucracy and administrative procedures that can hinder the efficiency and effectiveness of government processes. It can result in delays, inefficiencies, and obstacles to achieving goals or delivering services.
Red Tape - album - was created in 1976.
Red tape
Tape, as in "Tape worm", "Red tape" and this is the other one although the word "Ducked" is spelt "Duct", "Duct tape".
The duration of The Blood Red Tape of Charity is 600.0 seconds.
Red (red tape, red letter, red pepper, red handed)
My parents put red tape all around my Christmas gift.