Is his airline in the red??

His airlines might be in the red but he still manages a royal lifestyle

Hope you are enjoying your journey towards better English speaking. Here’s one more step.

The phrase we discuss in this post is, “Be in the red”.

Let’s first see the phrase in action:

1. All the oil PSUs are in the red and to stop further losses, the government has to raise the petrol and diesel prices.
2. The economy is bad and the company is in the red. That’s the reason very little salary raise has been given this year. Infact, there is a lot of talk of large scale lay-offs as well
3. The senior managers spent a lot of money on fancy trips and training programs. Their extravagance and financial indiscipline has been the major reason behind the company being in the red.

Red means danger. Being in the red means being in danger. It is generally used in a financial context so if a company is making a lot of losses, it is in the red or if the economy is going down, it is in the red.

The phrase is signifies something in trouble financial trouble.

Let’s take some examples:

1. There is no industry. Law and order problems discourage any investor who might want to invest here. The government splurges a lot of its officers and ministers and their pet schemes. I mean what is the point of erecting stone statues when the same money can establish factories and schools and hospitals. With no money coming in and expenses going unchecked, it is no wonder that the state is perennially in the red.
2. With the national economy in the red, difficult times are expected for the working and salaried class.
3. A lot of small farmers are in the red and unless some kind of debt relief is announced, many of them will be driven to the wall.
4. All his companies are in the red yet he manages to live a royal life style.

Use the phrase to signify financial difficulties faced by a person, company or organization.