red-pencil

[ red-pen-suhl ]

verb (used with object)

, red-pen·ciled, red-pen·cil·ing or (especially British) red-pen·cilled, red-pen·cil·ling.

1. to delete, censor, correct, or abridge (written material) with or as if with a pencil having a red lead:

   His book was heavily red-penciled before it got clearance.

red-pencil

verb

1. tr to revise or correct (a book, manuscript, etc)

Word History and Origins

Origin of red-pencil¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Industry analysts see areas which the well-financed bank lobby will be eager to red-pencil.

From Reuters

In his office he was said to have kept a box of used red-pencil caps as one way of keeping score.

From Washington Post

A red-pencil sketch by Peter — depicting a nude, muscular David from the neck down — winds up in Evert’s hands.

From Seattle Times

“The Child” is a middling and much-too-long suspense story that would have benefited from a ruthless red-pencil.

From Washington Post

Precisely because the spoken word is so important to the Arabs, government censors at first felt compelled to red-pencil portions of the regular Friday sermon from the silver-domed El Aksa mosque.

From Time Magazine Archive