red-eye

[red-ahy] /ˈrɛdˌaɪ/
noun
1.
the condition of having bloodshot eyes, as from eyestrain or lack of sleep.
2.
Also, red eye, redeye. Informal. a commercial airline flight between two distant points that departs late at night and arrives early in the morning.
3.
redeye (def 3).
4.
an unwanted photographic effect in which a person's iris appears to be red: caused by the reflection of a flashbulb off the blood vessels of the retina.
adjective
5.
Also, redeye. Informal. of or indicating a long-distance flight that leaves late at night:
the red-eye special from New York to Los Angeles.
Origin
1965-70, for def 2
Examples from the web for red-eye
  • It tries for a chipper, light-hearted tone, but it gives the audience a grueling flight-a red-eye to nowhere.
  • Now-ubiquitous face-detection and red-eye-reduction functions make your subjects look marvelous.
  • Photo-editing tools include rotation, cropping, red-eye reduction and brightness controls.
  • red-eye flights are popular with business travelers looking to make a city-to-city jump without losing a workday.
  • Resting during your flight can make a big difference in how much jet lag you experience, especially if you are flying the red-eye.
  • As the name suggests, red-eye overnight flights can worsen the effects of jet lag due to increased fatigue from lost sleep.
  • Avoid red-eye flights, because the trip is only five hours and you won't have much time to sleep.
  • If you're taking a red-eye, try to get as much sleep as you can on the flight.
British Dictionary definitions for red-eye

red-eye

noun
1.
(informal)
  1. an aeroplane flight leaving late at night or arriving early in the morning
  2. (as modifier): a red-eye flight
Word Origin and History for red-eye
n.

"airplane flight which deprives travelers of sleep," 1968, from the red eyes of sleeplessness; earlier as a noun meaning "raw and inferior whiskey" (1819, American English).