Union flag
1
3.1
- noun
:
bandera del Reino Unido
- At the soccer match, fans filled the stands waving Union flags to show their support for the home team.
- fly a Union flag
I have a couple of old Union flags from that time.
- I have a couple of old Union flags from that time.
Examples
-
The children waved the Union flag proudly during the parade celebrating the national holiday.
-
I have a couple of old Union flags from that time.
-
We drove through areas where every house (it seemed) had an Irish flag displayed, and we drove through areas where nothing but Union flags could be seen.
Blog text (1) -
There was a state funeral in London, by royal command, and the coffin, which had lain in state for three days in the Palace of Westminster under a Union flag, was placed on a special train at Waterloo and greeted by silent crowds all the way to Bladon in Oxfordshire, where he was laid to rest among his ancestors in a village churchyard.
Academic text (2011) -
Every year, we hang a large Union flag from our balcony to honor our heritage.
Synonyms
4
2.8
The national flag of the United Kingdom showing the crosses of England, Scotland, and Ireland
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'union' (the political joining or entity) + 'flag' (a banner) yields a flag representing the union, i.e. the national flag. This noun–noun composition is a common and cross-linguistically transparent pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the intended meaning (the fact that it is also called the 'Union Jack' is a separate label but does not make the compound opaque).
Etymology
Union flag was made by joining three saint crosses: the red straight cross of St George's cross for England, the white X-shaped cross of St Andrew's cross for Scotland, and the red diagonal of St Patrick's cross for Ireland. That's why the flag shows the 'union' of these countries and stands for the United Kingdom today.