Red Flag
A warning sign about someone's behavior or character early in dating.
Definition
Red flag is borrowed from sports/safety usage to mean any early warning signal about a romantic partner: rudeness to service workers, lack of friends, contempt for an ex, financial irresponsibility. The phrase has been so over-used that 'beige flag' (a quirky-but-not-bad signal) and 'green flag' (a positive signal) have emerged as variants.
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