to let your freak flag fly
- idiom
- Slang
- He decided to let his freak flag fly by dyeing his hair bright purple and wearing outrageous clothes.
Examples
-
So I can let my freak flag fly?
-
Look, some games let their freak flags fly.
Blog text (20) -
At the festival, everyone was encouraged to let their freak flag fly and show their true selves.
-
During the talent show, she really let her freak flag fly with a wild dance performance.
Synonyms
62
5.7
To show something in a very obvious way to get attention
5
9.9
To enjoy yourself freely by dancing and moving with energy
Antonyms
How Expressive
- Slang
- Informal
- Informal
9
6.3
- Informal
8
5.6
4
2.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
let + your + freak + flag + fly
The meaning is built from a clear metaphor: 'freak' (unusual person) + 'flag' (a symbol) + 'fly' (to display aloft), so a learner who knows the words can plausibly infer 'display your unusual traits.' However, the collocational and cultural use of 'freak flag' as an identity-symbol is conventionalized and somewhat idiomatic, so the exact pragmatic sense and register may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
The idiom let your freak flag fly uses the picture of a flag being raised and the word freak for someone unusual. One popular story says it came from the 1960s, when people who were different proudly showed their style like a flag, so let your freak flag fly means 'show your true, unusual self'.