Needle all the way into the red

Posted by Baceseras on September 29, 2007

In Reply to: Needle all the way into the red posted by Shirely on September 29, 2007

: "needle all the way into the red"

: Does it mean "get to the point"or something more exactly? I`m not sure.

The phrase calls up the image of a machine gauge: the indicator ("needle") enters the red zone of the dial when the process being measured reaches a critical state (fuel too low, or pressure too high, or speed the maximum sustainable).