"false flag[s]" in Google Books, "false colours" [not] in OED

Wed Apr 20 20:57:05 UTC 2011

It's interesting that two out of three earliest GB citations (125 years
apart) both have "false flag(s)" in the ancillary material rather than
in the text--the index for Dalrymple and the page banner for the
Maritime Law. But the other 1806 one /is/ actually from the 18th
century, but the best we can do is [before 1776].

There is a 1793 "False Colours" comedy (also in the text, unambiguous,
but figurative).

http://goo.gl/ooN7F

Yet another figurative in 1788

http://goo.gl/428KB
"What need there need be to carry false colours continuously on the
main-top of your forehead, ..."

1745, but record from November 23, 1693:

http://goo.gl/9uMIx
> From noon yesterday we had but faint small breezes of wind until three
> in the evening, at which time the ship that stood after us was got
> within random gun-shot of us, appearing a fine long snug frigate ; so
> that now we no longer doubted but that shewas an enemy, therefore
> letting fly my colours we fir'd a shot athwart his fore foot ; upon
> which he shew'd an /English /ensign : but for all his cheat we knew
> what he was, and were in all kinds ready to give him his welcome, we
> jogging easily under our fighting sails till four, at which time being
> in carbine shot of us, he run out his lower tier of guns, (which I did
> not expect, nor was well pleased to see) nine of each side, and struck
> his false colours, and hoisted the /French /white sheet.

[OT: The next line has "pluck a crow"--OED crow n.1 3.b.:]

> I perceiv'd he was resolv'd to pluck a crow with me; therefore, after
> drinking a dram, and encouraging all, order'd all my men to their
> guns, to behave themselves courageously, and expected his broad-side,
> which when within pistol-shot he gave us, and his volley of small shot.

1730, but the record from January 17, 1690:

http://goo.gl/lihAu
> I did never think it was the Part of any who were of Council for the
> King in Cases of this Nature, to endeavour to aggravate the Crime of
> the Prisoners, by going about to put false Colours upon Evidence, or
> to give it more than its due Weight and therefore I shall be sure to
> forbear any thing of that Nature.

1883 republication of Daniel Defoe novels, The Fortunate Mistress
(1724?), p. 348
http://goo.gl/HyQX6
> Soon after, their names were publicly known, and, in the end, my
> partners heard that they were our ships, and unhappily sailing under
> false colours (a thing often practised in the time of war), and never
> having seen each other, had, at meeting, a very smart engagement, each
> fighting for life and honour, till two unfortunate shots, one of them,
> viz., the privateer, was sunk by a shot between wind and water, and
> the trader unhappily blown up by a ball falling in the powder-room;
> there were only two hands of the trader, and three of the privateer,
> that escaped, and they all fortunately met at one of the partner's
> houses, where they confirmed the truth of this melancholy story, and
> to me a fatal loss.

The only one with an actually current date is from 1739 (Record dated
March 26--April 1739 issue):

http://goo.gl/fi6Rw
> A Spanish guarda costa attempted lately to surprize an English trading
> vessel belonging to Liverpool, on the coast of Guiney. She had put out
> false colours, to lead them into the snare; but how soon they found
> their mistake, by receiving a round of guns, they crowded all their
> sail, and made off.

Another similar to OED 1711 citation under colour n.1 7.d.:

http://goo.gl/jTjaA
The Occasional Papers. Number V. The Excellence of Virtue Appearing in a
Publick Character. 1716
p. 4
> These are Qualities in Men that will effectually hinder their being
> regarded as valuable or useful Members of any Society. No Man of this
> Character will be able by any Artifices or false Colours, by any
> Address or Cunning, to recommend himself to the Affection and
> Friendship, and procure himself the Assistance of his Neighbours.

Also, on the last page (unnumbered) of the Preface, immediately
preceding Paper Number 1.

> The Author restrains himself from Nothing which may either instruct,
> or entertain : He will sometimes argue, sometimes relate, sometimes
> take off false Colours, stating Matters of Fact as they are, and
> Matters of Right as they ought to be.

And another similar two years later:

http://goo.gl/5YpHN
Memoirs of the life of Mr. John Kettlewell. Compiled by George Hickes,
Robert Nelson. 1718
p. 195
> Wherefore he advised those Gentlemen to take care in the First place
> to acquit themselves as /Good Christians, /before they fought how to
> shew themselves /Good Politicians /and Statesmen ; And never to think
> of doing Good to a Church or Nation, by /Appearing /one Thing and
> /Being /another ; or of Advancing the Cause of Truth and Justice by
> Macchiavellian Turnings and Windings, Artful Shews and Pretence,
> Political Shifts and Evasions, Court-Mists and False Colours.

[OT: "Court-Mists" is not in dictionaries.]

Finally, what appears to be the earliest--at least in some sense--is a
1704 publication of "Sir William Monson's Naval Tracts" (begins on p.
169 of the volume, starting with the 1585 Drake voyage). The volume is
Volume III of "A Collection of Voyages and Travels, Some now first
Printed from Original Manuscripts".

> A Yearly Account of the English and Spanish Fleets, set out from the
> Year 1585, when the War with Spain first began, till the Year 1602,
> when King James made his has happy Entrance into this Kingdom; shewing
> the Designs, Oversights, and Errors on both English and Spanish sides,
> with the Names of the Queens Ships and Commanders in every Expedition.

"False Colours" appears on p. 553, but it's also a version of the usage
that shows up in 1711, 1716 and 1718 citations. The actual date cannot
be ascertained--but a statement on p. 556 appears to claim that the
current year was 1628.

http://goo.gl/NTru4
An Addition to the Sixth and Last Book, of Fishing, and the Reasons why
it was divided from the other former Discourse. p. 553
> These are the least to what shall appear when I launch into the Ocean,
> and there encounter them; but in the mean time I will unmask their
> Craft and Cunning, discover the Subtilcy of their /English/ Friends to
> entrap us in the Snares of their Policy, under the false Colours and
> Pretence of Security to the State.

p. 556
> It is no less admirable how they take advantage of us, upon all
> occasions offer'd, as namely in the year 1628, when our Wars with
> /France /prohibited our Trading thither, whereby we were compell'd to
> be serv'd by the Ships of /Holland /with the greatest part of Wine
> that furnish'd this Kingdom.

So we have cites from 1628, 1711, 1716, 1718, 1724 and 1793 all using
"to hang false colours" as a metaphor for pretense, with 1690 and 1693
records (appearing in later printings, followed by a fairly steady
stream from 1753 forward) showing actual naval use. I can't imagine the
former appearing without the latter--or, for that matter, having a
non-naval "false colours" engagement. So usage appears to go back into
the 16th century, although getting records of that would involve
something other than GB.

This is only a part of "false colour(s)" usage, however, as some (which
I did not cite) appears quite literal, in reference to color glass or
paint, for instance, consistent with several OED mentions. Except that,
it seems, there is something bungled in the dictionary.

false adj. 12.a.
> 1768    W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. 391   The true import of
> the evidence is duly weighed, false colours are taken off.

false adj. 14.a.
> c1540    Destr. Troy 11496   He set hom a cas, What fortune might
> falle vndur fals colour.
> 1784    F. D'Arblay Diary 30 Dec. (1842) II. 340   A letter..which
> seems to shew her gay and happy. I hope it shews not false colours.

colour n.1 I. 2.d.
> 1531    T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xv. sig. Hv,   He wyll..sette
> a false colour of lernyng on propre wittes, whiche wyll be wasshed
> away with one shoure of raine.
> 1699    R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 540   He puts a
> false colour upon one part of his Argument.

colour n.1 II. 6.b.
> c1540    Destr. Troy 11496   He set hom a cas, What fortune might
> falle vndur fals colour.
> a1688    J. Bunyan Jerusalem-sinner Saved (1886) 81   Feign not..but
> go in thy colours to Jesus Christ.
> 1841    Dickens Old Curiosity Shop ii. lxv. 166   [He] who didn't
> venture..to come out in his true colours.
> 1884    W. E. Gladstone in Standard 29 Feb. 2/7   Opponents who may
> find some difficulty in showing their colours.

colour n.1 II. 7.d.
> 1711    R. Steele Spectator No. 52. ?3   Our Female Candidate..will no
> longer hang out false Colours.

The note under 6.b. is actually of direct interest:

> 6. b. In phrases, as to come out in one's true colours , to show one's
> colours , etc. To this sense prob. belong the earlier examples of to
> fight, etc., under false colours , which at a later date became
> associated with the next sense.

What it does is connect 6.a. to 7.a. and thus 7.d.

> 6. a. (in pl.) A coloured device, badge, or dress, serving to
> distinguish or identify an individual or the members of a party. In
> early use applied to the cognizance or insignia of a knight; now
> commonly of the coloured symbols of colleges, clubs, jockeys, etc.,
> and of the rosettes and ribbons worn as party-badges. Sometimes less
> concretely, as in 'the Liberal colours here are blue and buff'.

> 7. a. (gen. in pl.) A flag, ensign, or standard of a regiment or a
> ship. In quots. 1667, a1719 a colours occurs: mod. military use has a
> colour.

> d. In various phrases, originally literal, as +to fear no colours , to
> fear no foe, hence gen. to have no fear; to come off with flying
> colours ; to stick to one's colours ; to nail one's colours to the
> mast ; to hang out false colours , etc. Also see false adj. 14a,
> flying adj. 3b, and nail v. 1d.

Compounding the matter is the fact that the cross-references from false
to colour and back are all wrong--they associate with wrong entries. For
example, the links under "false" got to colour n.1 1.c. (which does not
exist), 8 and 15, as well as Phrases 3.a. and 3.b., when they should
actually link to 2.d., 6.b. and 7.d. (And I could not find "Phrases 3a
and 3b"--the links actually go to 7.d.) "Colour" links back to false
adj. 14.a., but it's actually 12.a /and/ 14.a.

And, as I mentioned earlier, these are completely separate from false
adj. 16.a. and Compound C2.c.(a)

> 16. a.   false colour n.  +(a) in water-colour painting, a lighter
> tint of any of the recognized colours;  (b) (also false dye, = French
> teint faux) a fugitive as opposed to permanent dye.
> 1573    Art of Limning 4   Azure or Byze. His false coloure, Two parts
> azure and one of cereuse.
> 1573    Art of Limning 11   Lay..First thy false colours and after thy
> sadd.
> 1815    J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 527   Dyes of the second
> class,..are called false or little dyes.
> 1842    J. Bischoff Woollen Manuf. II. iii. 80   Two branches, namely,
> that of permanent colours, and that of false or fugitive colours.

> Compounds C2. c. (a)
> false-colour v.
> 1817    S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. (1847) II. 170   Genius neither
> distorts nor *false-colours its objects.

To introduce some order, "colours" originally referred to clan
distinguishing marks--whether that be face and body paint, particular
clothing and banners. This appears to have narrowed to uniform insignia
(or even distinguishing colors of the uniform itself) and to flags and
standards--once the Kingdom got distinct national military and uniforms
and flags. "False colours" could have applied to any of these, the
former perhaps transferring to "palace intrigues" (wearing "false
colors" of one faction or another) and the latter to more general false
pretenses. But I don't see how we can now establish whether the
figurative or metaphorical usage was derived from one or the other. I am
puzzled why all of these are not collected under a single entry in the
OED, with multiple subentries making the fine distinctions. For example,
"to hang [false] colors" or "to take down" would imply a flag,
especially naval, and "to take off [false] colours" would imply a
uniform or uniform insignia. So "false flag" is derivative from "false
colours" of one type, but not the other.

     VS-)

PS: I am being a bit sloppy with color/colour usage, but most of it is
actually deliberate. When talking about the OED citations and original
usage "colour" is appropriate. When it's my own language, I usually use
"color". I hope it's not too confusing.

On 4/20/2011 11:03 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> A. false flag[s]
>
> 1) The only GBooks hit before 1800 for "false flag[s]" is 1681:
>
> False Flags in Ships taken by Privateers, 187.
>
> [This is in the index, an indented subentry under "ffalshood". No
> page number. Unfortunately, Adobe Reader claims it cannot open the PDF.]
>
> James Dalrymple Stair (Viscount of). The institutions of the law
> of Scotland : deduced from its originals, and collated vvith the
> civil, canon, and feudal- lavvs, and vvith the customs of
> neighbouring nations ... . Edinburgh: Printed by the heir of Andrew
> Anderson ..., 1681.
>
> 2) Oddly, no hits in the 18th century.
>
> 3) A few tens of instances from 1800 to 1849 in GBooks, some
> "literal" (a ship's flag) and some figurative.
>
>
> B. "false colours"
>
> I don't see a quotation in the OED referring literally to a flag
> displayed by a ship. Instances show up in GBooks at and after
> 1703. (When searching for "false colours" + ship.)
>
> Joel

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