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false colors
plural noun
- the flag of a country other than one's own, especially when used deceptively:
sailing under false colors.
- false or deceptive actions or statements; misrepresentation.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of false colors1
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Idioms and Phrases
Pretense, misrepresentation, or hypocrisy; deceptive statements or actions. For example, She's sailing under false colors—she claims to be a Republican, but endorses Democratic legislation . This term alludes to the practice of pirate ships sailing under false colors —that is, running a particular flag specifically to lure another vessel close enough to be captured. [Late 1600s]Discover More
Example Sentences
Syrup Cocillana Compound is a nostrum sailing under false colors.
It would seem, he said, from what he could learn, that Tillotson's honorable opponent was sailing under false colors.
To be constantly forced to move under false colors was a bitter thing for Ezra.
If false colors are carried we must find it out because they carry no notice to warn us.
These are mighty captains, and flaunt their false colors in the daily newspapers which come to our firesides.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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