Turkey red

American  

noun

1. a bright red produced in fabrics by madder, alizarin, or synthetic dyes.

2. cotton cloth of this color.

3. Adrianople red.

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Turkey red British  

noun

1. 1. a moderate or bright red colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a Turkey-red fabric

2. a cotton fabric of a bright red colour

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Etymology

Origin of Turkey red

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Turkey red

They dress up in expensive, full-skirted costumes, often rich purple or Turkey red; at fiestas they wear necklaces made from old U.S. five-to 50-dollar gold pieces.

From Time Magazine Archive

Turkey red especially is safe to last, even when applied to cotton.

From How to make rugs by Wheeler, Candace

Alizarin, a-liz′a-rēn, n. a colouring matter used in the dyeing of Turkey red, formerly extracted from madder, the commercial name of which in the Levant is alizari.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

The floor was of glazed white tiles, and the single window had curtains of Turkey red.

From Casa Braccio, Volumes 1 and 2 by Castaigne, J. André

Specially prepared distemper colours should be used, and amongst such may be mentioned golden ochre, Turkey red, Indian red, manganese black, lime blue, and umber.

From Arts and Crafts Essays by Members of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society by Various