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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of Turkey red

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

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

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 fastest known in earlier days was Turkey red, a long and difficult process with madder and not very practical for the small dyer.

From Vegetable Dyes Being a Book of Recipes and Other Information Useful to the Dyer by Mairet, Ethel M.

American manufacturers compete chiefly in drills, denims, blankets, prints, gray cloths, and bleached shirtings, while German goods imported consist chiefly of drills, prints, Turkey red yarns, blankets, and trimmings.

From Guatemala, the country of the future by Pepper, Charles M.