black flag


noun

a pirate flag, usually of black cloth with a white skull and crossbones on it; Jolly Roger.
a flag having two yellow and two black squares, signifying the letter L in the International Code of Signals: formerly so called when used by itself to indicate the presence of cholera on board a vessel.
a signal given to an automobile racing driver to stop, usually because the car may have a dangerous problem that requires inspection.
Also called blackjack (for defs 1, 2).

Origin of black flag

First recorded in 1585–95

Example sentences from the Web for black flag

  • Knowing that we could not escape from her, the stranger openly showed his colors—the pirate's black-flag.

  • One hundred black-flag Taaisha, the Khalifa's own Baggara tribesmen and part of his body-guard, charged impetuously.

    Khartoum Campaign, 1898 |Bennet Burleigh

British Dictionary definitions for black flag

black flag

noun

another name for the Jolly Roger