Red Flag (A)

(i) In the Roman empire it signified war and a call to arms.

(ii) Hoisted by British seamen, it indicates that no concession will be made.

As a railway signal, it intimates danger, and warns the engine-driver to stop.

(iii) In France, since 1791, it has been the symbol of insurrection and terrorism.

(iv) It is a synonym of Radicalism and Anarchy.

“Mr. Chamberlain sticks to the red flag, and apparently believes in its ultimate success.”—Newspaper paragraph, January, 1886.

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.