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Glite Dictionary
to raise the flag

to raise the flag

1 5.1
To tell people about an idea or problem to see how they react
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : levantar la bandera
  • Who dared raise the flag of rebellion at her court?

Examples

  • The community decided to raise the flag of awareness for the environmental issues affecting the area.

  • He chose to raise the flag at the meeting to gauge everyone's support for the new policy.

  • They will raise the flag during the rally to show their commitment to the cause.

Synonyms

to blazon out
vsto raise the flag
9.3

To tell many people about something in a showy way

announces openly to test reactions or measure support

Antonyms

to conceal
282 3.7

To hide something so others cannot see or find it

How Public

to proclaim
  • Formal
229 5.3
to announce
∞ 1.5
to raise the flag
1 5.1
to hint
136 2.0

Surface Forms

raise the flag infinitive
raised the flag past
raised the flag past participle
raising the flag present participle
raises the flag third person singular

Morphology

raise + the + flag

The literal action of 'raise' + 'flag' (hoisting a flag) naturally suggests making something visible or giving a public signal, so a B1 learner who knows the words will likely infer a general meaning of announcing or signaling. However, the specific pragmatic nuance of 'testing reactions' or 'gauging support' is a metaphorical extension not fully predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrase raise the flag comes from the simple image of raising a flag up a pole so everyone can see it. When people did this, they were openly 'announcing' something or 'testing' support, so the phrase now means 'to announce or signal something openly' or 'to test reactions'.