as red as a beet
Meaning
Very red in the face or skin, usually from embarrassment, heat, anger, or exertion.
Origin
A simile comparing someone’s redness to a beetroot’s deep red/purple color; recorded in American English from the 19th century and used for blushing or flushed skin.
Notes
A casual simile for a flushed/red face or skin. Often implies embarrassment (blushing) but can also be heat, anger, or exertion. Similar to “as red as a tomato.”
Examples
-
When the teacher praised him in front of the class, he turned as red as a beet.
-
I spilled coffee on my boss’s report and went as red as a beet.
-
She realized she’d been waving at a stranger and was as red as a beet.
-
After tripping on the stairs, he stood up as red as a beet and tried to laugh it off.
-
The joke caught her off guard, and she was as red as a beet for the rest of dinner.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Fixed pattern: “as + adjective + as + noun” (as red as a beet). Usually used predicatively (“He was as red as a beet”) or after “turn/go” (“She turned as red as a beet”). Limited variation (beet/beetroot).
Synonyms
- as red as a tomato
- beet-red
- scarlet
- flushed
Antonyms
- pale as a ghost
- white as a sheet