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

Alizarine Pink.—This can be dyed in the same way as Turkey red, only using for full pinks 4 per cent, of alizarine in the dye-bath, or for pale pinks 1 to 2 per cent.

From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Beech, Franklin

You wouldn't have known old Abe's saloon from a city hall at Christmas time, with its decorations and its "cuddle-corners" all picked out with Turkey red and evergreens.

From The Heart of Unaga by Cullum, Ridgwell

Many processes differing somewhat in detail have been devised for dyeing Turkey red on cotton, and it is probable that no two Turkey-red dyers work exactly alike.

From The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student by Beech, Franklin

I mean, Turkey red is what they use.”

From A Chosen Few Short Stories by Stockton, Frank Richard