- nail your colours to the mast
- nail (your) colours to the mast
to publicly state your opinions about a subject.
Nobody knows which way he's going to vote because he has so far refused to nail his colours to the mast.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
nail your colours to the mast
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nail your colours to the mast — british phrase to say clearly and publicly who you support or what you think about something Thesaurus: to support an idea, plan or personsynonym Main entry: nail * * * nail your colours to the ˈmast idiom (especially BrE … Useful english dictionary
nail your colours to the mast — Meaning Show your intention to hold out until the end. Origin In nautical battles colours (flags) were lowered as a mark of submission. Nailing your colours to the mast meant you weren t intending to submit … Meaning and origin of phrases
nail your colours to the mast — British to say clearly and publicly who you support or what you think about something … English dictionary
nail colours to the mast — nail (your) colours to the mast to publicly state your opinions about a subject. Nobody knows which way he s going to vote because he has so far refused to nail his colours to the mast … New idioms dictionary
nail — nail1 S3 [neıl] n [: Old English; Origin: nAgl] 1.) a thin pointed piece of metal with a flat top, which you hit into a surface with a hammer, for example to join things together or to hang something on ▪ The key was hanging on a nail by the door … Dictionary of contemporary English
mast — [[t]mɑ͟ːst, mæ̱st[/t]] masts 1) N COUNT The masts of a boat are the tall upright poles that support its sails. 2) N COUNT A radio mast is a tall upright structure that is used to transmit radio or television signals. 3) to nail your colours to… … English dictionary
nail — [[t]ne͟ɪl[/t]] nails, nailing, nailed 1) N COUNT A nail is a thin piece of metal with one pointed end and one flat end. You hit the flat end with a hammer in order to push the nail into something such as a wall. A mirror hung on a nail above the… … English dictionary
nail — I UK [neɪl] / US noun [countable] Word forms nail : singular nail plural nails ** 1) a thin pointed piece of metal that you use to fix one thing to another by hitting it with a hammer 2) the smooth hard part that grows over the ends of your… … English dictionary
nail — 1 noun (C) 1 a thin pointed piece of metal which you force into a piece of wood with a hammer to fasten the wood to something else 2 the hard smooth layer on the ends of your fingers and toes: Damn! I ve just broken a nail. 3 a nail in sb s/sth s … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
With flying colours — A ship in harbor, flying its flags. With flying colours is a popular proverbial phrase of the English language. The phrase s origins relate to ship flags. Contents 1 History … Wikipedia
