▪ I. flag, n.1
(flæg)
Also 4–7 flagg(e, (5 flegge).
[Of obscure origin; cf. Du. flag, occurring in Bible 1637, Job viii. 11 margin (the Eng. Bible has the same word in this passage), also mod.Da. flæg (in Dansk Ordb. 1802, but not found in MDa., which has flæ, flæde in the same sense).]
1. a. One of various endogenous plants, with a bladed or ensiform leaf, mostly growing in moist places. Now regarded as properly denoting a member of the genus Iris (esp. I. pseudacorus) but sometimes (as in early use) applied to any reed or rush.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) IV. 157 Þere herdes fond hym among mory flagges and sprayes, and sente hym to Silla. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 165 Flegge, infra in S. idem quod Sedge. a 1533 Ld. Berners Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546) Q, The drye flaxe will brenne in the fyre, and the grene flagge smoke in the flame. 1563 B. Googe Eglogs viii. (Arb.) 64 He that once preserued in Flags, the sely suckyng Chylde. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia ii. 26 The chiefe root they haue for food..groweth like a flagge in Marishes. 1763 Churchill Duellist i, On Lethe's Stream, like flags, to rot. 1842 Guide to Trade, Cooper 74 A flag or rush should be put round the groove. 1873 G. C. Davies Mount. & Mere ii. 6 Gazing with a feeling akin to awe at..the tall rushes and flags. |
b. With words indicating the species, as
garden flag (
Iris germanica);
sweet smelling flag, spicewort (
Acorus Calamus);
water flag,
yellow flag (
Iris pseudacorus). Also
corn-flag.
| c 1550 Lloyd Treas. Health (1585) E iv b, The ioyce of yeolowe flagge put into thine eare is of the same operation. 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. xxxv. 193 That kinde [of Iris] whose flower is purple and blewe is called..of some..garden flagges. 1580 Baret Alv. F 639 The water Flagge, or the yellowe wild Iris. 1640 Parkinson Theat. Bot. i. xlviii. 139 The sweet smelling Flagge. 1831 J. Davies Manual Mat. Med. 373 The American Blue Flag, Iris versicolor. |
c. In
pl. or collect. sing. A kind of coarse grass.
| 1577 Holinshed Chron. I. 185 The hay of our low meadows is..also more rooty, foggy and full of flags. 1639 Horn & Rob. Gate Lang. Unl. xxxii, Arable ground being..cleared from the roots of the flag. 1847 Halliwell, Flag..also applied to the small pieces of coarse grass common in some meadows. 1878–86 Britten & Holland Plant-n., Flag (3)..Probably Aira cæspitosa L. |
¶ d. Used for
alga.
Obs.| 1778 Milne Bot. Dict., Algæ, Flags. 1807 J. E. Smith Phys. Bot. 402 Algæ, Flags, whose herb is likewise a frond. |
2. The blade or long slender leaf of a plant,
e.g. of
Iris and of cereals.
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. xxxv. 193 The narrow leaved Ireos, his flagges be long and narrowe. 1599 T. M[oufet] Silkwormes 34 Sweetest Iris beareth shortest flagges. 1750 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandm. II. i. 38 This Oat has not only a strong large Stalk and Ear to nourish, but also a broad Flag besides. 1850 W. A. Bromfield in Phytologist III. 1006 The green leaves [of Typha latifolia]..are used..for mats, chair-bottoms and basket-work, under the name of flags. 1880 Jefferies Gt. Estate 8 The wheat was then showing a beautiful flag. |
† 3. ?
= flag-basket.
Obs.| 1640 in Entick London (1766) II. 182 For every twenty sugar flags. 1812 J. Smyth Pract. of Customs (1821) 23 Annotto, Package tared, and 6 per Cent. allowed for Flags. |
4. attrib. and
Comb. as
flag-bed,
flag-flower,
flag-grass (
U.S.),
flag-pond,
flag-root;
flag-bottomed,
flag-fenced,
† flag-shaggy adjs. Also
flag-basket dial., a basket made of reeds, chiefly used by workmen for carrying their tools;
flag-broom (see
flag n.2 5);
flag-leaf, an iris;
flag-lily, the common yellow flag,
Iris pseudacorus, and other irises;
flag-reed (see
quot.);
flag-worm, a worm found in the roots of flags and used by anglers.
| 1747 H. Purefoy Let. 9 Dec. (1931) II. 280 Pray bring a *flag Basket or Wallet to take them [sc. books] away with you. 1859 Geo. Eliot A. Bede 262 Emptying his tools out of the flag-basket. |
| 1656 Trapp Comm. Eph. vi. 4 Like Moses in the *flag-bed. |
| 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxviii. 96 Furniture, including a dozen *flag-bottomed chairs. |
| 1878 Smiles Robt. Dick vii. 79 Beyond them the *flag-fenced fields in the distance. |
| 1753 Chambers Cycl. Supp., *Flag-flower. See Iris. 1801 Southey Thalaba xi. xxxiv, The flag-flower blossom'd on its side. |
| 1848 W. H. Emory Notes Milit. Reconn. 92 It [sc. the island] was overgrown with willow, cane, Gila grass, *flag grass, &c. |
| 1827 Clare Sheph. Cal. 53 Mint and *flagleaf, swording high Their blooms to the unthinking eye. |
| 1884 ‘C. E. Craddock’ In Tenn. Mts. i. 18 Among their roots *flag-lilies..and devil-in-the-bush mingled in a floral mosaic. 1922 A. S. Macmillan Pop. Names Flowers Somerset 107 Flag Lily. Yellow Iris, Iris Pseudacorus. |
| 1652 Rec. Providence, R.I. (1893) II. 64 John Field shall have the *Flagge-pond. 1680 Portsmouth (R.I.) Rec. 204 The flag pond where the fence now stands. 1837 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 1st Ser. ix. 66 He chases [the horses]..over ditches, creeks, wire holes, and flag ponds. |
| 1833 C. Sturt S. Australia II. vii. 181 The reeds are the broad *flag-reed (arundo phragmatis). |
| 1707 J. Mortimer Husb. (1708) 287 At D is a spade..the Edges of which are as sharp as a knife, which makes it easie to cut *Flag-roots. 1881 S. P. McLean Cape Cod Folks v. 107 Grandma fed him with bits of unsweetened flag-root. |
| 1605 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iii. iv. Captains 123 Th' agéd Floud..pensive leaning his *flag-shaggie head Upon a Tuft. |
| 1653 Walton Angler 178 He will also in the three hot months..bite at a *Flag-worm, or at a green Gentle. 1787 Best Angling (ed. 2) 19 Flag-worms, or Dock-worms. Found among flags. |
▪ II. flag, n.2 (
flæg)
Also 5, 7
flagg(e.
[Cf. Icel. flag neut. the spot where a turf has been cut out, ON. flaga wk. fem. slab of stone (cogn. with flay v.); these appear in Eng. as flaw n.1, but some dialects have app. retained -ag- in adoption of ON. words. Cf. also flake n.2, flaught1.] 1. a. A piece cut out of or pared off the sward; a turf, sod. Also
collect. Now
dial. (
E. Anglian).
| c 1440 Promp. Parv. 16 Flagge of þe erthe..terricidium. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. viii. lvi. 120 Upon his shield an heap of fennie mire In flagges and turfs..Did smoth'ring lie, not burn. 1691 Ray S. & E.C. Words (E.D.S.), Flags, the surface of the earth, which they pare off to burn; the upper turf. Norf. 1847 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VIII. ii. 306 The flags are burnt in small heaps. Ibid. Ser. ii. III. ii. 659 Covered with grass flag, cut 3 inches thick. |
b. The slice of earth turned over by the plough-share; also, the ground thus made ready for sowing.
dial. (
E. Anglian) only.
| 1787 Marshall E. Norf. Words (E.D.S.), Flag, the furrow turned. 1795 Annals Agric. XXIII. 27 To dibble beans, one row on each flag. 1800 Trans. Soc. Encourag. Arts XVIII. 109 The plough..turned over a flag of nine inches. 1823 Moor Suffolk Words, Flag..the portion of clover land turned at once by the plough. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Flag 2, The surface of a clover lay of the second year, turned up by the plough. The wheat for the next year's crop is dibbled into the flag. 1845 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. ii. 340 Nothing rose to cover the ground after the first mowing, so as to make a flag for the wheat. |
2. a. A flat slab of any fine-grained rock which may be split into flagstones; a flagstone.
| 1604 Vestry Bks. (Surtees) 282 A cesse of iijd. the pound shalbe levied for the winninge of flaggs. 1658 in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 188 That a new flagge be laid over the watercourse. 1774 Pennant Tour Scotl. in 1772, 297 A stone chest formed of six flags. 1799 J. Robertson Agric. Perth 34 The brown flags..were at one period used..in covering houses. 1839 E. D. Clarke Trav. 33/1 The new promenade..is paved with large flags. 1871 Tyndall Fragm. Sc. (1879) I. xii. 308 With a hammer and chisel I can cleave them into flags. |
b. pl. A flagged foot-pavement.
| 1802 M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. xiii. 106 Dancing dogs, that he was exhibiting upon the flags. 1850 Clough Dipsychus ii. iv. 3 Shall I..like the walking shoe⁓black roam the flags To see whose boots are dirtiest? |
3. Salt-mining. ‘A very hard kind of marl found near the first bed of rock salt’ (
Chester Gloss. 1884).
| 1883 Gresley Gloss. Coal Mining. 1892 Cornhill Mag. Sept. 263 A shaft is sunk till the ‘flag’ or ‘bean metal’ has been pierced. |
4. Glass-making. (See
quot.)
| 1883 Chance in Powell Principles Glass-making 111 These grate-rooms are sunk several feet below the level of the bed of the furnace, and are separated from each other by a portion of the bed, which is called the flag. |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
flag-way;
flag-like,
flag-paved adjs. Also ?
flag-broom (see
quots.;
perh. belongs to
flag n.1);
flag-harrow, a harrow for thoroughly breaking up the flag (sense 1 b);
flag-sandstone, sandstone that may be split into flags (sense 2). And
flag-stone.
| 1697 W. Dampier Voy. I. 150 The Leaves that make the brush part of the *Flag-brooms which are brought into England..are..a small kind of Palmeto. 1755 Johnson, Flag-broom, a broom for sweeping flags or pavements..commonly made of birch-twigs, or of the leaves of the dwarf palm. |
| 1845 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. V. ii. 333 The land..may be broken down by a *flag-harrow, called by some a crab-harrow. |
| 1849 Murchison Siluria vii. 125 These *flaglike strata. |
| 1895 Daily News 21 Nov. 6/2 The street is *flag-paved. 1926 W. J. Locke Old Bridge ii. vii, A narrow flag-paved street. |
| 1843 Portlock Geol. 505 The micaceous *flag sandstones of the old red are highly calcareous. |
| 1800 in Spirit Public Jrnls. (1801) IV. 263 The *flag-way is pleasant to saunter and idle. 1875 Le Fanu Will. Die xix. 116 He walked slowly up and down the silent flagway. |
▪ III. flag, n.3 (
flæg)
[perh. subst. use of flag a., though that is not recorded so early. Cf. fag n.2 1.] 1. a. pl. The quill-feathers of a bird's wing; in
quot. 1486 the cubital or secondary feathers of a hawk's wing. Also
attrib. b. (See
quot.)
| a. 1486 Bk. St. Albans B j, The federis at the wynges next the body be calde the flagg or the fagg federis. 1575 Turberv. Faulconrie 274 Otherwhile it chaunceth, through the hurte of a Hawkes wing, that one or twoo of hir Flagges..are broosed. 1615 T. Tomkis Albumazar ii. iv, If I mue these Flagges of Yeomanry. 1635 Quarles Embl. iii. i. (1818) 138 Like as the haggard, cloister'd in her mew..to renew Her broken flags. 1678 Ray Willughby's Ornith. 84 The flag-feathers of the Wing [of the Kestrel] are in number twenty four. 1741 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Feather, The vanes or webs in the flag part of the wing. 1858 W. Clark Van der Hoeven's Zool. II. 379 Wings acute, with flag-feathers often short. |
| b. 1890 Coues Ornith. ii. iii. 182 Crural feathers are..sometimes long and flowing, as in the ‘flags’ of most hawks. |
2. pl. (See
quot.)
| 1892 Simmonds Dict. Trade Suppl., Flags, a technical name for a variety of quills. |
▪ IV. flag, n.4 (
flæg)
Also 5–7
flagge.
[A word found in all mod.Teut. langs., but app. first recorded in Eng.; cf. Da. flag (1569 in Kalkar), Sw. flagg, flagga (not in Söderwall MSw. Dict.), Du. vlag (vlagghe in Kilian 1599), Ger. flagge (17th c.; also flacke). Whether the word originated in
Eng.,
Du., or Scandinavian, it may plausibly be supposed to be an onomatopœic formation, expressing the notion of something flapping in the wind;
cf. flack v.,
flag v.
1,
MDu. vlaggheren to flutter. If the word be of
Eng. origin, there are other possibilities: it might be a transferred use of
flag n.1; or, if the primary sense were ‘square of cloth’ or the like, it might be the same word as appears in
OE. flacg ‘cataplasma’ (
Wr.-Wülck. 386) and
flage, recorded in 1139 as an
Eng. name for a baby's garment (Du Cange
s.v.).]
1. a. A piece of cloth or stuff (usually bunting), varying in size, colour, and device, but most frequently oblong or square, attached by one edge to a staff or to a halyard, used as a standard, ensign or signal, and also for decoration or display.
For
black,
red,
white,
yellow flag, see the
adjs. bloody flag (
Shakes. K. Hen. V, i. ii. 101):
cf. quot. 1724.
| [1481–90 Howard Househ. Bks. (Roxb.) 42, ij. stremers, standartes, and ij. fagges.] 1530 Palsgr. 220/2 Flag or baner of a felde, guidon. 1595 Shakes. John ii. i. 207 These flagges of France..Haue hither march'd to your endamagement. 1612 W. Parkes Curtaine-Dr. (Grosart) 47 Each Play-house aduanceth his flagge in the aire. 1676 Dryden Aurengz. v. i, In either's Flag, the golden Serpents bear, Erected Crests alike. 1702 Royal Proclam. in Lond. Gaz. No. 3872/1 Any other Flags, Jacks, Pendants or Ensigns. 1724 R. Falconer Voy. (1769) 118 They consented to hoist the bloody Flag, and neither to give or take Quarter. 1783 W. Thomson Watson's Philip III, vi. 442 The flag of rebellion is displayed throughout all Bohemia. 1834 M. Scott Tom Cringle 304 Don't cease firing, although his flag be down—it was none of his doing. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop xix, Flags streamed from windows and house-tops. |
transf. and
fig.| 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. v. iii. 96 Beauties ensigne yet Is Crymson in thy lips..And Deaths pale flag is not aduanced there. 1604 ― Oth. i. i. 157, I must show out a Flag and signe of Loue. 1663 Sir G. Mackenzie Religious Stoic xx. (1685) 160 Who would not..bow the flag of his private opinion to the commands of the Church. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 351, I have often..been sorry to see a Flag of Horse-Soles hung out upon every silly Smith's Door. 1825 Hone Every-day Bk. I. 1254 A white apron may be the ‘flag’ of the ‘Licensed Victualler's profession’, but it is not the barber's ‘flag’. 1881 M. E. Braddon Asph. II. 318 She..‘blushed celestial red’..her lover..hung out a rosy flag on his own side. |
b. flag (of truce): a white flag, carried by a messenger or hoisted on a vessel, to express a wish for parley with the enemy. Hence, the person or the ship dispatched with a flag of truce.
| 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. xlii. 98 Then the enimies helde up a flagge. [Margin] This flag was a sign and request of peace. 1627 Capt. Smith Seaman's Gram. xiii. 62 They hang out a flag of truce. 1775 R. Montgomery in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853) I. 495 Firing upon a flag of truce. 1779 T. Jefferson Let. Writ. 1893 II. 259 A flag sails hence to-morrow..to negotiate the exchange of some prisoners. 1810 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. VI. 107 He should fire upon all flags in future. 1842 Campbell Napoleon & Brit. Sailor 62 He gave the tar a piece of gold, And, with a flag of truce, commanded He should be shipp'd to England Old. |
c. In various nautical phrases, as
to give (deny, refuse, etc.) the honour of the flag: to make (or refuse) an acknowledgement of supremacy by striking the flag to another;
to lower or strike one's flag: to take it down,
esp. in token of respect, submission, or surrender;
the flag of defiance is out! (naut. slang) (see
quot. 1700);
to keep the flag flying: to refuse to haul down one's flag and surrender; to carry on the fight; chiefly
fig.;
to show the flag: (of one of H.M. ships) to make an official visit to a foreign port or elsewhere, showing the White Ensign; also
transf. and
fig.; hence
flag-showing vbl. n. and
ppl. a.
| 1644 H. Manwayring Sea-mans Dict. s.v. Flaggs, At sea to lower or strike ones Flagg in fight is a token of yeelding, but otherwise of great obedience and respect. 1673 Ld. Shaftesbury Parl. Sp. in Collect. Poems 235 They came to that height of insolence, as to deny the Honour and right of the Flag. a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew s.v. Flagg..The Flag of Defiance is out, (among the Tars) the Fellow's Face is very Red, and he is Drunk. 1779 F. Hervey Naval Hist. II. 146 Firing upon a Dutch man of war who refused him the honour of the flag. 1802 Windham Sp. Definit. Treaty 13 May, Sp. (1812) III. 428 The notion that peace would hush up all our dangers had induced us to give up to Holland the honour of the flag. 1881 Palgrave Visions Eng. 275 Above the war-thunder came shouting, as foe struck his flag after foe. 1914 J. W. Stalker (song title) Keep the old flag flying. 1918 A. Hurd Brit. Fleet Gt. War iv. 48 It was only..by releasing 11,000 or 12,000 trained officers and men from non-fighting ships—vessels that ‘showed the flag’, to quote the phrase of the moment—that it became possible..to obtain crews for what was to become the Grand Fleet. 1919 Beerbohm Seven Men 20 Neither he nor his work received the slightest encouragement; but he persisted in behaving as a personage: always he kept his dingy little flag flying. 1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 1 Oct. 740/3 Professor Warfield kept the flag flying in the theological seminary of Princeton. 1937 Partridge Dict. Slang 281/1 Show the flag, to put in an appearance, just to show that one is there. 1957 D. Macintyre Jutland iii. 36 There had been flag-showing cruises. 1959 Listener 14 May 826/2 ‘Showing the flag’ means a British ship going to a foreign port. 1963 Times 7 Feb. 18/6 This was a genuine effort on the bank's part to show the flag at a time when they thought it should be shown. A series of six British products would be advertised. 1965 A. Nicol Truly Married Woman 29 They had formed a literary club to keep the flag of culture flying. |
d. A metal plate bearing the words ‘For Hire’ affixed to the meter of a taxi.
The flag is raised when the vehicle is disengaged, and when engaged is lowered to start the meter and register the fare due for the distance travelled.
| 1909 Daily Chron. 26 June 6/2 Taxi-cab ‘flag up’ case... A taxicab driver..was found guilty of defrauding his employers..by driving a cab of the company with the flag up, thus putting into his own pocket money that should have gone to the company. 1910 Punch 14 Dec. 421/1 Or in the pouring rain..a taxi will go by with the flag up. 1924 C. Mackenzie Old Men of Sea i. 3, I would walk by the kerb and peer with futile optimism at the drooping flags of the many taxis. 1969 ‘J. Morris’ Fever Grass i. 5 The driver..did not lean across to lift the little red metal flag of the meter mounted on the dashboard by the left front window. |
e. Sporting. A flag used chiefly to indicate the start or finish of a race; also, a device on a chess-clock which falls when the time-limit is reached. So
to drop the flag, to give the signal for the start or finish; also,
the flag falls.
| 1856 ‘Stonehenge’ Man. Brit. Sport viii. 203 The Duties of the Flag-Steward are to..see that the flagman hoists the right flag... The Field-Stewards..should have one or two flagmen with blue flags. 1890 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Col. Reformer xx, He will be there, or thereabouts, when the flag falls, I'll lay. 1890 in A. E. T. Watson Turf (1898) 232 Every horse shall be considered as having started which is under the Starter's orders when the advance flag has been raised. 1895 Manson Sporting Dict. s.v. Distance Judges, When the first horse reaches the winning post, one of the judges there drops a flag. 1898 in A. E. T. Watson Turf iv. 113 It had been supposed by many that no horse of this age could win with so heavy a burden; but there was never any doubt as to the result after the flag had fallen. 1925 E. F. Norton Fight for Everest, 1924 200 It would be a great help to the leader of a future expedition in making up his mind when to ‘drop the flag’. 1930 Brit. Chess Mag. I. 48 In a time-scramble..the Hungarian's flag actually fell. 1951 ‘Assiac’ Adv. in Chess iii. ii. 93 Reshevsky..would remain quite unperturbable by the nerve-racking need to make half a dozen moves or more with the ‘flag’ on his clock about to drop in a matter of seconds. 1969 A. Glyn Dragon Variation ii. 49 Carl's clock flag had now fallen, but it didn't matter any more. The game was over. |
f. flag of convenience: a foreign flag under which a ship is registered in order to avoid certain duties, charges, etc.
| 1956 Times 20 Aug. 7/2 ‘We Greeks didn't invent the so-called flag of convenience,’ he said, somewhat indignantly. 1957 Britannica Bk. of Yr. 416/2 The phenomenal growth of merchant fleets registered under the flags of such non-maritime countries as Liberia and Panama began [in 1956] to cause alarm... The ownership of such vessels, under what came to be known as ‘flags of convenience’, was vested mainly in U.S. and Greek companies and citizens of other nationalities. Owners of ships registered in such countries were able to avoid the high rates of taxation applicable in most of the traditional maritime countries, or, in the case of U.S. companies, the handicaps of U.S. shipping legislation. 1971 B. Callison Plague of Sailors iii. 94 ‘Owners?’ I queried. ‘Greek firm—it's a flag of convenience set-up—called Manentis Shipping.’ |
g. A statement of the name, ownership, etc., of a publication, or of its name alone, as printed on the editorial page or the front page.
| 1956 E. C. Arnold Functional Newspaper Design vi. 108 Some papers have dropped the article The from their flag. 1967 Boston Globe 18 May 27/5 The New York Times recently made a sensational change in its ‘flag’ across the top of Page One. |
h. Computers. A symbol or symbols used to indicate some property of the data in a record.
| 1959 Jrnl. Assoc. Comput. Mach. VI. 147 It is necessary to define the information with flag words inserted directly in the physical records. Ibid. 148 There are a number of end flags which indicate the end of a string of information. 1967 Cox & Grose Organiz. Bibl. Rec. by Computer 151 The fields and their ‘flags’ are specified..to ensure consistency in input. |
2. Naut. a. A flag carried by a flagship to indicate that an admiral is in command, an admiral's emblem of rank afloat. Hence, of the admiral,
to hoist or strike one's flag: to enter upon, or relinquish command.
| 1695 Lond. Gaz. No. 3088/4 A Squadron of Dutch Ships, whereof 3 carried Flags. 1697 Ibid. No. 3329/4 Sir George Rooke hoisted his Flag on Board the Defyance. 1707 Ibid. No. 4390/3 This Morning he struck his Flag on board the Nassau. 1769–89 Falconer Dict. Marine s.v. Admiral, Admirals that have carried no flag. 1796 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. II. 187 The Admiral thinks I shall be ordered to hoist my Flag here. 1809 Sir A. Hammond in G. Rose Diaries (1860) II. 359, I never meant to charge him with having deprived me of my flag. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Flag..Also, a certain banner by which an admiral is distinguished at sea from the inferior ships of his squadron. |
b. A ship carrying an admiral's flag, a flagship.
| 1652 Perfect Account No. 101. 2065 The Garland..was engaged by two Dutch Flags. 1710 Lond. Gaz. No. 4755/2 That they did not do it is attributed to the Loss of their two Flags. 1829 Marryat F. Mildmay vii. (Rtldg.) 67, I..quitted the flag with a light heart. |
c. Applied to the admiral himself. Also,
flag! the answer returned to a sentry's challenge by an admiral's boat.
| 1665 Pepys Diary (1879) III. 274 Not giving to all the Commanders, as well as the Flaggs. 1719 Sir E. Byng in Torrington Mem. (1889) p. xi, My whole pay as a flag of the fleet. 1747 J. Lind Lett. Navy (1757) I. 23 If more than two flags, then the commander in chief is to have one half of the eight. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Flag. |
d. pl. A flag-lieutenant.
Naut. slang.
| 1929 F. C. Bowen Sea Slang 49 Flags, a Flag Lieutenant. 1936 S.P.E. Tract xlvii. 257 His Admiral and perhaps others will continue to call him ‘the Flag Lieutenant’ (familiarly ‘Flags’). |
3. slang. An apron.
| 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour (1861) I. 218 Flag, an apron. 1882 Echo 29 Aug. 1/5 Ere long we may expect to hear that a Congress of Servant-girls has been discussing the use of the ‘flag’. |
4. Sporting. The tail of a setter or Newfoundland dog. Also of a deer;
occas. of a horse.
Cf. quots. under
flag a.
| 1859 ‘Stonehenge’ (J. H. Walsh) Dog i. iv. 97 The stern, or flag [of the setter]..is furnished with a fan-like brush of long hair. 1883 G. Stables Our Friend the Dog vii. 60 Flag, the tail, applied to Setters and Newfoundlands. 1891 R. Kipling Plain Tales from Hills 148 A switch-tailed demirep of a mare called Arab because she has a kink in her flag. |
5. ?
= fag n.2 2.
| 1874 Knight Dict. Mech. I. 875/2 Flag, the uneven end of an uncut tuft of hair in a brush. 1893 Standard Dict., Flag, the split end of a bristle. |
6. Printing. A mark made by the corrector of a proof, showing an omission by the compositor of some words which are written by the corrector in the margin; an ‘out’.
7. attrib. and
Comb., as
flag-bearer,
flag-case,
flag-planter,
flag-planting,
flag-pole;
flag-bedecked,
flag-bedizened,
flag-decked,
flag-hung adjs.;
flag-wise adv. Also
flag-boat, a mark-boat in sailing or rowing matches;
flag-captain, the captain of a flagship;
flag-day, (
a)
U.S., the anniversary of the adoption by Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the American national flag on June 14th, 1777; (
b) a day on which money is raised for a cause by the sale of small paper flags or other tokens which are worn as evidence that the wearer has contributed;
flag discrimination Comm., the application of differential duties or charges according to a ship's nationality;
flag-dues (see
quot.);
flag-fall, the falling or dropping of a flag to indicate the start of a race (see 1 e);
† flag-fallen a., unemployed; said of actors in allusion to the lowering of the play-house flag as a sign of closing;
flag-flying, (
a) the flying of flags; (
b)
colloq., over-bidding at Bridge; so
flag-flier; (
c)
slang (see
quot. 1889);
flag-furling a. (
fig.), disposed to cease fighting, pacific;
flag-lieutenant, an officer acting as an aide-de-camp to an admiral;
flag line U.S., a transport line flying the flag of a specified country;
flag-list, the roll of flag-officers or admirals;
flag-pay, the pay of a flag-officer or admiral;
flagpole sitter, one who sits on top of a flag-pole, for exhibition, etc.;
flag-raising vbl. n. (
U.S.), a ceremonious hoisting of a party flag;
flag-rank, the rank of admiral;
flag-share, an admiral's share (one-eighth) of prize-money;
flag-signal v., to signal by means of flags; so
flag-signaller;
flag-station (
Railways), a place where trains stop only when signalled to do so;
flag-wagger slang, (
a) a flag-signaller; (
b)
= flag-waver;
flag-wagging, (
a)
Milit. slang, signalling with flags held in the hand; also
attrib.; (
b)
= flag-waving; also
attrib.;
flag-waver, one who tries to arouse popular enthusiasm; so
flag-waving vbl. n. Also
flag-officer,
flagship, flagstaff.
| 1835 Lytton Rienzi ii iii, The different servitors and *flag-bearers ranged themselves on the steps without. |
| 1904 Daily Chron. 12 Aug. 5/7 The *flag-bedecked town. 1906 Ibid. 9 May 7/4 The flag-bedecked fleet. 1937 Koestler Spanish Testament i. 29 Bending over a flag-bedecked map with Colonel Questa and a German airman. |
| 1887 Times (weekly ed.) 24 June 4/4 The houses..were largely *flag-bedizened. |
| 1815 Sporting Mag. XLVI. 187 The Caroline passed first round the *flag-boat. |
| 1829 Marryat F. Mildmay vii. (Rtldg.) 66, I..saw the *flag-captain. |
| 1870 Colomb & Bolton Flashing Signals 39 The *flag-case is made of strong patent leather. |
| 1894 Chicago Tribune 17 June 1/7 American *Flag Day has come to stay. 1905 N.Y. Even. Post 10 June 9 Flags shall fly from the City Hall on June 14 in observance of Flag Day. 1914 Scotsman 5 Oct. 10/3 The Flag Day effort organised to help the Belgian Relief Fund. 1919 G. B. Shaw Heartbreak House p. xvii, The passionate penny collecting of the Flag Days was brought under some sort of regulation. |
| 1899 Daily News 18 July 6/3 In *flag-decked cages. 1926 M. Leinster Dew on Leaf 41 Flag-decked floating temple. |
| 1928 Britain's Industr. Future (Liberal Ind. Inquiry) i. v. §2. 50 They pointed out the disadvantages of indirect methods of Protection, such as subsidies, *flag discrimination, [etc.]. 1959 Listener 28 May 920/1 Other governments assist their National Flag lines by ship-building subventions, operating subsidies, and flag discrimination. |
| 1892 Simmonds Dict. Trade Suppl., *Flag Dues, a charge on ships, in some harbours, for hoisting flags. |
| 1899 Westm. Gaz. 16 May 5/3 At Newmarket,..in two consecutive races, the favourite was practically out of the race at *flagfall. 1922 E. Wallace Flying Fifty-Five xxvi. 153 But Besse o' the Barn was not favourite at flag-fall. |
| 1609 Rowley Search for Money B iij/1 Foure or fiue *flag-falne Plaiers. |
| 1927 Observer 29 May 25 The more sober and sane *flag-fliers who calculate risks. |
| 1889 Barrère & Leland Dict. Slang, *Flag flying (tailors) is used in reference to a bill posted up when hands are required. 1904 Westm. Gaz. 10 Aug. 2/3 There was some diversity in the flag-flying on the various official and semi⁓official buildings. 1917 E. Bergholt Royal Auction Bridge 101 ‘Flag-flying’. In the early days of Auction, it was considered a very heroic thing, when you saw that the opponents would make game on their call, to rush in with an overbid that you were sure would fail, in order to keep the game alive. 1918 Ibid. (ed. 2) 152 As this is an instructive example of ‘flag-flying’ it is as well to compare the two results in figures. 1928 Daily Express 21 May 3/7 Jack, with a pitying smile for Sam's heroic flag-flying, doubled—and Sam made a grand slam. 1947 S. Harris Fund. Princ. Contract Bridge i. iii. 31 The business double..can obviously be used with great effect against reckless flag-flying. |
| 1802 in Spirit Public Jrnls. (1803) VI. 174 A fresh assortment of *flag-furling orations, expected by the pacific packet. |
| 1897 E. L. Voynich Gadfly iii. viii, The sunlit blaze of carpeted street and *flag-hung walls. 1905 Daily Chron. 25 Dec. 3/5 The Rev. Michael Adler preached a sermon from the flag-hung pulpit. |
| 1798 Nelson in Nicolas Disp. III. 2 Your note..about the *Flag Lieutenant. |
| 1944 B. Hershey Skyways of Tomorrow v. 83 To this observer it becomes clear that unlimited competition for routes by various United States *flag lines would tend very strongly toward weakening the ability of any United States aviation company to compete. |
| 1873 Colomb Let. 11 June in Fifteen Yrs. Naval Retirement (1886) 13 A large nominally active *Flag List. |
| 1719 Sir E. Byng in Torrington Mem. (1889) p. ix, My *flag pay. |
| 1901 Westm. Gaz. 28 Oct. 2/2 The Frenchman..is an indefatigable *flag-planter. |
| 1899 Daily News 12 July 4/4 Foreign politics in these regions, not content with pinpricks and *flag-plantings. 1901 Westm. Gaz. 10 Oct. 3/1 This plan of flag-planting is distinctly ingenious. We shall have to speak of planting out flags (instead of pegging out claims) for posterity. |
| 1884 Pall Mall G. 9 Sept. 3/2 That is a contretemps to which annexation by *flagpoles is occasionally exposed. |
| 1931 Kansas City Star 18 Sept., A man who would do that would do most anything, even to being a *flagpole sitter. 1939 A. Keith Land below Wind x. 171 The flagpole sitter rests on the top of his flagpole. |
| 1864 Sala in Daily Tel. 18 Nov., *Flag-raising consists in stretching a big banner..across a street, and this banner contains a colossal transcription of the particular ‘ticket’ which the flag-raisers support. |
| 1894 Westm. Gaz. 7 Sept. 8/2 His profession of the Protestant faith having prevented his attaining *flag rank. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., *Flag-share. |
| 1888 Kipling Soldiers Three (1889) 15 As if he were *flag-signallin' to t' world at large. 1910 H. G. Wells Mr. Polly vi. 130 His mind passed to Mrs. Larkins and the bonnet that was to gain such a hold upon him; it seemed to be flag-signalling as she advanced. |
| 1930 Daily Express 6 Sept. 5/5 To make the robot swing his arms and go through the *flag-signaller's alphabet. |
| 1852 Hist. etc. County Oxford 681 Here [Gosford] is a *flag station on the Oxford and Bletchley branch of the London and North-Western Railway. |
| 1919 Athenæum 11 July 582/2 *Flag-wagger. 1966 Guardian 30 Sept. 6/8 An imperialist, a flagwagger. 1971 Daily Tel. 18 June 14/6 No mere flag wagger, Mr Marten adopted the cool advocacy of a barrister presenting a well-studied brief. |
| 1887 Pall Mall G. 24 Mar. 11/1 So..slow a process as that of ‘*flag wagging’. 1898 Westm. Gaz. 21 Sept. 2/2 Flag-taking (like ‘flag-wagging’) is more exhilarating than remunerative. 1908 Ibid. 20 Nov. 2/2 Flag-wagging rhetoric. 1915 G. Adam Behind Scenes at Front 130 The old name of Army Signals still exists, but flag-wagging is to Signals what Euclid is to mathematics. 1916 ‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 152 Wally and me was both in the flag-wagging class. 1928 Daily Express 6 June 13 To live among them without flag-wagging or publicity. 1956 Bannerman Birds Brit. Isles V. 121 The approaching birds scattered..and no amount of frantic flag-wagging by the flankers would turn them. 1958 Times 1 Feb. 3/3 That is not a threat, is not flag-wagging, and it is not bluff. |
| 1894 Westm. Gaz. 28 June 2/3 The Pretoria *flag-wavers. |
| 1892 Pall Mall G. 12 Nov. 2/2 *Flag-waving is all very well, but it is a miserable proceeding when influenced by such sordid motives. |
| 1849 D. Rock Ch. of Fathers II. i. vii. 490 Figures..fastened *flag-wise upon staves. 1906 Westm. Gaz. 8 June 2/1 One leaf left, flagwise, on its battered stem. |
▸
flag football n. N. Amer. a modified form of American football in which tackling is forbidden, with play instead being stopped when a defensive player removes a flag from the waist of the ball carrier;
cf. touch football n. at
touch- comb. form Affix 1b.
| 1947 Walla-Walla (Washington) Union-Bull. 3 Aug. 6/3 On Wednesday the *flag football league gets underway... If the game proves as active and interesting as it seems on paper, it will imediately take the place of touch football. 2004 New Yorker 10 May 82/1 They wanted a team..that could play flag football, against an as yet unknown opponent. |
▸
flagstick n. a stick to which a flag is attached; (
Golf)
= pin n.1 2e.
| 1871 R. H. Conwell Why & How Sketches ii. 254 He cautiously inserted the *flag-stick in the top of Lem's sedan..and left it to flutter there with the American colors upon one side and a dancing devil upon the other. 1888 Rules of Golf 15 Either party is entitled to have the flag-stick removed when approaching the hole. 1974 Football Assoc. News Oct. 34/4 Struck on the head by a linesman..with his flagstick. 1981 Daily Tel. 30 July 2/3 Everywhere were variations of the Union Flag—red, white and blue on flagsticks, wrapped round shoulders, on hats, on tee-shirts and, in one inspired adaptation, a knotted handkerchief on the head. 2003 New Yorker 31 Mar. 51/2 Tracks and ruts that amplified the difficulty of getting to the flagstick in fewer than ten strokes. |
▪ V. † flag, n.5 Sc. Obs. [Cf. ON. flagð similarly used.] An opprobrious term applied to a woman.
| 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xiv. 71 Sic fartingaillis on flaggis als fatt as quhailis. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 2137 Ane fistand flag. 1866 T. Edmondston Shetland & Orkn. Gloss., Flaag, a large clumsy woman. |
▪ VI. † flag, n.6 Sc. Obs. [var. of flaw; cf. Sw. flaga, wind flaga, Du. vlaag, earlier vlaeghe, vlage.] A blast or gust (of wind); a squall.
flag of fire: a flash of lightning.
| 1513 Douglas æneis i. iii. 61 With fluidis ourset the Troianis, and at vndir By flaggis and rayne did fra the hevin descend. Ibid. vii. Prol. 49 Dym skyis oft furth warpit feirfull levyne, Flaggis of fyir and mony felloun flawe. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (1858) I. 9 In mony flag that furius wes and fell. |
▪ VII. flag, n.7 (
flæg)
[Cf. MLG. vleger, ‘coin worth somewhat more than a Bremer groat’ (Schiller & Lübben).] A groat, fourpence.
| 1567 Harman Caveat 85 A flagge, a wyn, and a make (a grot, a penny, and a halfe penny). a 1700 B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew, Flagg, a Groat. 1851 Mayhew Lond. Labour (1861) I. 251 A tremendous black doll bought for a flag of a retired rag-merchant. |
▪ VIII. † flag, a. Obs. [Perh. a. OF. flac (:—L. flaccus) of same meaning. For the change of c into g cf. flagon, flaget, repr. earlier flacon, flaket. See next vb.] Hanging down, drooping, pendulous;
esp. of hair, and a horse's or dog's tail. Also in comb., as
flag-eared,
flag-thighed,
flag-winged.
| 1591 Percivall Sp. Dict., Encapotado de orejas, flag eared, flaccidus. 1613 Heywood Brazen Age ii. ii, The fierce Thessalian hounds With their flagge eares. 1637 A. Warwick Spare Min. 112 He [the heron] strave to get above her [the hawk] labouring..to make her flagge-winged, and so escape. 1668 Lond. Gaz. No. 273/4 About 17 years of Age, bright flag hair. 1683 Bp. of Ferns in Wicked Contriv. S. Blackhead in Select. Harl. Misc. (1793) 521 His hair..hangs flag without any curls. 1683 Lond. Gaz. No. 1866/8 A Sorrel Gelding..with a bald Face..and a long flag Tail. 1765 Treat. Dom. Pigeons 91 The feathers on their thighs hang loose, whereby they are said to be flag-thigh'd. |
▪ IX. flag, v.1 (
flæg)
Also 6–7
flagge.
[? f. flag a.; cf. OF. flaquir to become flaccid. But prob. there is a mixture with an onomatopœic formation, expressing the same notion as flap, flack, but implying less energetic movement.] 1. intr. To hang down; to flap about loosely.
| 1545 [see flagging ppl. a.]. 1609 Bible (Douay) Exod. xxxix. 19 Which a lace of hyacinth ioyned, lest they should flagge loosely. 1650 Bulwer Anthropomet. 178 Least the heavy Breasts should flag down too low. 1655 Theophania 2 He discovered a tall Ship with her sails flaging about her masts. 1801 Southey Thalaba iii. xviii, When the out⁓strain'd tent flags loosely. 1818 Shelley Rev. Islam iii. xvii. 3 Its sails were flagging in the breathless noon. |
† b. To sink
down heavily.
Obs.| 1617 Abp. Abbot Descr. World, Peru V iv, Which bedds are deuised of Cotten wooll, and hung vp betweene two trees..in the which flagging downe in the middle, men and their wiues and their children doe lie together. |
† c. trans. To allow to droop: to hang down, drop (the head, ears, tail, etc.).
Obs. Cf. 5
| 1637 Heywood Dial., Anna & Phillis Wks. 1874 VI. 310 No one but droopes her wings, and flags her tayle. 1644 Quarles Sheph. Oracl. vii, Whereby I was compelled To flag my sailes. 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Celery, It warps and flags its Head too much. 1757 W. Thompson R.N. Advoc. 20 Dogs..have flaged their Tails..and would not even smell to it. |
2. intr. To become limp or flaccid. Now only of plants: To droop, fade.
| 1611 Cotgr., Flestrir..to fade, wither; flag, droope. 1644 Digby Nat. Bodies (1645) i. xii. §4. 127 When the string [of a bow] beginneth to flag. 1667 Beale in Phil. Trans. II. 424 The Cherry-Blossoms then flagging, but not much altering their Colour. 1668 Culpepper & Cole Barthol. Anat. ii. iii. 92 The Lungs flag and become small again. 1767 Nat. Hist. in Ann. Reg. 106/1 Having made an aperture in the bladder, it flagged immediately of itself. 1846 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VII. ii. 523 The white crops flag, and the turnip-leaves turn yellow. 1860 Delamer Kitch. Gard. 79 They may be cut out with balls of matted fibres, and being then well watered, will scarcely flag at all. |
† 3. intr. Of wings: To move feebly or ineffectually in attempting to fly. Of a bird: To move its wings feebly (in early use also
trans. with
wings as
obj.); to fly unsteadily or near the ground.
Obs.| 1590 Spenser F.Q. To Earl Essex, My Muse, whose fethers..Doe yet but flagg and slowly learn to fly. 1596 ― Hymn Heav. Beauty 30 The..faulcon..flags awhile her fluttering wings beneath. 1603 B. Jonson Sejanus v. iii, Croking Ravens Flag'd up and downe. 1624 Gataker Transubst. 220 Like eagles wee must soare aloft up to heaven, and not flagge downward. 1635 Cowley Davideis iii. 330 The Wings of Time flagg'd dully after it. |
| fig. 1644 Bulwer Chiron. 5 Speech divided from the Hand..flags and creeps upon the ground. a 1683 Oldham Art of Poetry (1686) 3 Others..flag low, and humbly sweep the dust. a 1764 Lloyd Ode to Genius Poet. Wks. 1774 II. 174 Whose nerveless strains flag on in languid tone. |
b. ? To fly level, without soaring; or
perh. (after
flag n.4) to fly with long sweep of wing.
| 1846 Kingsley Saint's Trag. v. iii, One bird Flags fearful onward. 1849 ― Misc. (1859) II. 308 Long strings of sea⁓fowl are flagging on steadily at railroad pace. |
4. To become feeble or unsteady in flight. Hence in wider sense (in early use
perh. consciously
transf.): To be unable to maintain one's speed; to lag, or fall into a halting pace, through fatigue; to become languid, lose vigour or energy.
| 1639 Fuller Holy War iv. xi. (1640) 188 No wonder then if the wings of that armie did quickly flag, having so heavy a weight of curses hanging upon them. 1665 Boyle Occas. Refl. ii. v. (1845) 113 Too commonly our Resolutions flagg with our Joys. 1691 Norris Pract. Disc. 312 We shall be..far from flagging in our Duty. 1692 Locke Educ. §15 (1699) 23 His Stomach..flagging into a downright want of Appetite. 1745 De Foe's Eng. Tradesman vi. (1841) I. 44 His credit by degrees flags and goes off. 1780 F. Burney Lett. July, She does not suffer one's attention to rest, much less to flag, for hours together. 1810 Scott Lady of L. i. vi, 'Twere long to tell what steeds gave o'er. Who flagged upon Bochastle's heath. 1821 Shelley Boat on Serchio 94 The boat..flags with intermitting course, And hangs upon the wave. 1853 A. Soyer Pantroph. 394 The major-domo perceived that appetite began to flag. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. xii. 127 The dogs began to flag; but we had to press them. 1874 L. Stephen Hours in Lib. (1892) I. ii. 63 His zeal in setting forth an example never flags for an instant. |
b. Of an author, or his works, a diversion, game, conversation, etc.: To fall off in vigour or interest, to grow dull or languid.
| 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. 253 Yet doth he sometimes..seem to flag a little, and speak more Languidly and Sceptically about it. a 1745 Swift (J.), The pleasures of the town begin to flag and grow languid. 1767 Gray Let. Poems (1775) 325 The diction is..not loaded with epithets and figures, nor flagging into prose. 1773 Mrs. Chapone Improv. Mind (1774) II. 99 Suffering the conversation to flag, for want of..a subject. 1838 Dickens Nich. Nick. vi, When this topic flagged, he turned to the grey-headed gentleman, and asked if he could sing. 1861 Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. xlvii, By degrees the cricket flagged, and most of the men went off. 1881 Besant & Rice Chapl. Fleet i. x. (1883) 83 Come, gentlemen, we let the glasses flag. |
† c. to flag in money: to be slow to pay it.
| 1608 Yorksh. Trag. B j a, Shall it be said in all societies, That I broke custome, that I flagd in monie? |
† 5. trans. a. lit. Of a bird, etc.: To cease to ply vigorously, relax the efforts of (its wings) from fatigue. Of conditions, circumstances, etc.: To render (the wings) incapable of soaring; to clog, impede.
b. Hence To allow or cause to become languid; to be tardy in prosecuting (a purpose); to deprive of vigour, animation, or energy; to depress, enfeeble.
Obs.| a. 1622 F. Markham Bk. War v. ix. 197 The minde..if still it be ouerlaid with its owne toile, must..either flag her wings or stoope to a faulse prey. 1687 Dryden Hind & P. iii. 509 Nor need they fear the dampness of the sky Should flag their wings, and hinder them to fly. 1709 Prior Ode iii, The Thousand Loves, that arm thy potent Eye, Must..flag their Wings, and die. 1715 J. Barker Exilius I. 93 Our Roman Eagles..began to flag their wings. |
| b. 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. iii. iii, O, for thy sisters sake, I flagge revenge. 1656 S. Holland Zara (1719) 140 A kind of fulsome Recreation, that flags our Crests. 1670 Eachard Cont. Clergy 22 There is nothing that flags the Spirits..as intense Studies. 1720 Welton Suffer. Son of God II. xxi. 571 How forcible this Wretched Spirit of contradiction is..to Quell and Flag the inclinations of doing Good. 1757 W. Thompson R.N. Advoc. 9 The bloody Brine..flags by its softer and raw Juices, the Strength of the Pickle. |
c. to flag rein: to slacken speed.
rare.
| 1848 Lytton Harold ii. ii, Took ship from Cherbourg and have not flagged rein, till I could say [etc.]. |
▪ X. flag, v.2 (
flæg)
[f. flag n.1] † 1. trans. To plant
about with flags or reeds.
| 1685 Evelyn Diary 22 Oct., The waters are flagged about with Calamus aromaticus. |
2. To tighten (the seams of a barrel) by means of flags or rushes.
| 1757 W. Thompson R.N. Advoc. 15 A Cask..which was not well flag'd. 1842 Guide to Trade, Cooper 50 Inside joints..must be flagged. 1846 Sir T. D. Lauder in Encycl. Brit. (ed. 8) IX. 639/1 After which it [the barrel] should be flagged, headed, blown, and tightened. |
3. To cut off the flag or blade of (wheat).
| 1846 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VII. ii. 538, I had to flag my wheat three times..and then it was partially laid. |
Hence
ˈflagging vbl. n. Also
attrib.| 1842 Guide to Trade, Cooper 73 Pulling off from the head, with the flagging iron, the stave or staves that [etc.]. 1846 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. VII. ii. 299 So rank will be the corn-crop there, that in spite of two or three flaggings, it is almost sure to go down and spoil. |
▪ XI. flag, v.3 (
flæg)
Also 7
flagge.
[f. flag n.2] trans. To pave with or as with flagstones. Also of a stone or stones: To form the floor or paving of.
to flag over: to cover with a pavement.
| 1615 G. Sandys Trav. 130 The stones so great, that eight floores it..eight flagge the ends, and sixteene the sides. Ibid. 177 The wals are flagged with large tables of white marble. 1682 Wheler Journ. Greece ii. 187 It is flagged also within with white Marble, and paved in like manner. 1709 Steele Tatler No. 179 ¶8 What Ground remains..is flagged with large Quarries of white Marble. 1810 Ann. Reg. 755 The streets in Paris are not flagged on the sides, as in London. 1855 Mrs. Gatty Parab. Nat. Ser. i. (1869) 125 The hearthstone that flagged the grand old chimney arch of ancient times. 1884 G. H. Boughton in Harper's Mag. Oct. 714/1 They..flagged the dead over with their own grave-stones. |
▪ XII. flag, v.4 (
flæg)
[f. flag n.4] 1. a. trans. To place a flag over or upon; to decorate or adorn with flags.
to flag out (a racecourse): to mark out by flags.
| 1875 ‘Stonehenge’ Brit. Sports ii. ii. i. §6. 511 In a steeplechase, where the ground is not flagged out. 1889 Times 1 Oct. 3/3 In honour of the day all the official buildings here were flagged. |
b. To mark with a small flag or tag so that relevant items may be readily found. Also
transf.| 1934 H. Nicolson Curzon: Last Phase 74 Instead of being placed in a jacket of its own, each paper as it arrived was affixed to the top of its own file, and these files were encased in a large folder. Any previous paper mentioned in the minutes had to be ‘flagged’. It was this flagging process which caused such pain and irritation. The flags consisted of tabs of thick scarlet paper marked ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘C’ ‘D’ and so on through the letters of the alphabet. These tabs had to be affixed to any back page in the file to which reference was made in the current minute. 1966 New Statesman 28 Jan. 113/3 This phrase..purports to embody Brown and Jones, 2 B & C 1827, which I have flagged for your Lordship. 1967 Amer. Speech XLII. 70 The arrangement follows the method and apparatus of Thompson's revised Motif-Index, with the ‘new’ variants of motifs flagged by an asterisk. |
c. In
Computers: see
flag n.4 1 h.
| 1959 Jrnl. Assoc. Comput. Mach. VI. 128 Symbolic coding—in which only those instructions and data which are referred to by other instructions need be flagged. 1966 C. J. Sippl Computer Dict. & Handbk. (1967) 129/2 Flag operand, the third operand of a symbolic instruction, designating which digits of the object-level instruction will be flagged (IBM 1620). |
2. a. To inform or warn by flag-signals.
spec. To stop (a train) by signalling with a flag. Hence, to stop (a vehicle, person, etc.) by waving or signalling. Also
absol. So
to flag down, in.
b. To communicate (information) by flag-signals.
c. To inform by flag-signals
that.
d. To decoy (game,
esp. deer) by waving some object like a flag to excite the animal's attention or curiosity.
| 1856 N.Y. Herald 12 Jan. 1/3, I flagged the Albany express train..with my white flag. 1871 Scribner's Monthly II. 433 Old Tom, who flagged at the Cherry street crossing. 1884 G. O. Shields in Harper's Mag. Aug. 367/2, I will give you a point or two on flagging antelope. 1885 T. Roosevelt Hunting Trips vi. 181 One method of hunting them [antelopes] is to..flag them up to the hunters by waving a red handkerchief..to and fro in the air. 1886 Leeds Mercury Nov., At Mineke some men working in a limekiln flagged the train on account of an obstruction on the track. 1887 Pall Mall G. 24 Mar. 11/1 A map of the battle of Hasheen..was flagged across Wimbledon Common. 1893 Capt. King Foes in Ambush 51, I flagged old Feeny half an hour ago that they hadn't come through here. 1899 A. H. Quinn Pennsylvania Stories 168 At Broad Street the outfit was flagged by a Sergeant. 1915 Wodehouse Something Fresh iii. 63 George, that nice, fat carver is wheeling his truck this way. Flag him, and make him give me some more of that mutton. 1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xii. 270 And I flagged that car with my right hand. 1932 Kansas City Times 18 Feb. 22 Fellows who flag a newspaper man down in order to.. pay a subscription. 1940 R. Stout Over my Dead Body xi. 149 A taxi appeared and I flagged it. 1943 N. Coward Middle East Diary 23 Sept. (1944) 100 The car broke down..however we flagged a passing lorry..and whirled off. 1945 E. Bowen Demon Lover 93 Eric, do you think you could flag the maître d'hôtel? 1954 L. Klemantaski tr. Fraichard's Le Mans Story viii. 80 Faroux flags in Chinetti's 2 litre Ferrari. 1957 S. Moss In Track of Speed vi. 86 His pit attendants..flagged him in after the race had been in progress for some time. 1966 Listener 6 Jan. 23/1, I was driving along Holland Park Avenue..when I was flagged down by three women. 1970 ‘H. Carmichael’ Remote Control ii. 22 Mrs. Melville managed at last to flag a passing taxi. |