red 40 stare

(Noun, derogatory) A vacant-eyed gaze from a person who consumes a lot of artificially-dyed red food (i.e. takis, Gatorade, skittles, etc). Because this dye is usually found in snacks that are marketed towards school-age children, this phenomenon is usually associated with young people.

Red dye 40 is said to cause behavioral and physical health issues. There are also unsubstantiated claims that red dye 40 causes autism and ADHD, so using the term “red 40 stare” can also come with the connotation of calling a person unintelligent.

When the teacher asked her class what an adjective was, she was met with 35 glassy-eyed red 40 stares. She had to radio the janitor to come mop up the giant communal drool puddle that was pooling on the floor. To reduce the risk of slipping and breaking her neck, she gave up on teaching grammar for the day.