Meaning
To surrender, admit defeat or yield in a dispute; by extension, to signal a wish to stop fighting and negotiate. It is the figurative use of the military custom in which displaying a plain white flag shows that the bearer is unarmed and seeks parley or capitulation. Applies to arguments, contests, diets and negotiations alike. Works with several verbs - raise, wave, hoist, show, fly - all standard. Usually implies the loser's initiative in conceding, so it can sound defeatist if used about mere negotiation. Do not confuse with show the white feather, a separate idiom about cowardice. Regional use: International; the symbol is recognized under the laws of war and the phrase is general English.
Origin
The custom outdates the English phrase by a long way: Wikipedia's White flag article records white flags of surrender in the Eastern Han dynasty and a Roman instance noted by Tacitus, though that article's origins section carries a maintenance tag, so the ancient dates are treated here as plausible but less secure. In English, the OED's earliest evidence for white flag is 1578, in the writings of the explorer George Best, and Merriam-Webster independently dates first known use to 1578, defining a second, figurative sense as a token of weakness or yielding - both verified directly. The flag's international standing was codified in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, which protect the bearer of a white flag as a parlementaire, and misusing it to attack is perfidy under the laws of war. Figurative use is solidly established by the early twentieth century: Wiktionary cites O. Henry of 1899-1910 and a clearly figurative Time article of 1951.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- hoist the white flag
- show the white flag
- wave the white flag
Usage Examples
- After twelve grueling rounds, the champion's corner finally raised the white flag.
- The mayor hoisted the white flag in the budget fight and accepted the compromise.
- I had sworn off sugar for a month, but the smell of fresh croissants made me raise the white flag.