red stuff

American  

noun

1. a compound of oil and sesquioxide of iron used for polishing brass, steel, silver, etc.; crocus or rouge.

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Etymology

Origin of red stuff

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The spider has developed a special sense that allows it to detect blood and will choose small, blood-filled mosquitoes over larger ones that don't contain the red stuff.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2024

Red tape eventually was abandoned for white or undyed tape because of its tendency to bleed, but in its heyday, the government used vast amounts of the red stuff.

From Washington Post • Jan. 16, 2023

“We don’t know what this red stuff is,” says John Spencer, a planetary scientist at SwRI and deputy project scientist on New Horizons.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 27, 2018

Ugh, what’s that gooey red stuff dripping out of Santa’s bag?

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2018

Akira held up her hand to tell him to wait, and saw that she was covered with the same sticky, gooey red stuff as Dodger.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz