red-eye
UK[ˈred aɪ]US[ˈred aɪ]
n
A flight on an airplane that leaves late at night and arrives early the next morning.
n
The red appearance of a person's eye in a photograph, caused by light reflecting off the retina.
n
Informal term for cheap whiskey.
Morpheme Breakdown
red
eye
red
eye
Etymology
The compound "red-eye" is a straightforward combination of two native English words describing a visual phenomenon. Its primary modern meanings are metaphorical extensions of this literal image. The sense referring to a late-night flight humorously evokes the bloodshot eyes of tired passengers, a usage dating to the mid-20th century with the rise of commercial air travel. The photographic term directly describes the artifact caused by camera flash, while the slang for whiskey references the drink's purported effect or, in some histories, the practice of adding a red substance to mask poor quality.
Analysis
Structure: red + eye
- red (Old English 'rēad'): A color term, functioning as an adjective modifying the noun.
- eye (Old English 'ēage'): Refers to the organ of sight, functioning as the core noun.
Examples
I caught the red-eye from Los Angeles to New York to save on hotel costs.
The photo was perfect except for the red-eye in the subject's left eye.
He poured himself a glass of cheap red-eye from the bottle on the shelf.