Buzz
Finding out you’ve aced a test with flying colors is amazing—unless you're one of your classmates who may complain that your stellar score messed up the bell curve.
The phrase might give the impression that while you breezed through the competition—whether in a race or academically—you were waving a bright, multicolored banner to rub it in. Though that’s not exactly the origin, flags did play a role.
As far back as the late 16th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word colors (or colours
Over time, these expressions also took on metaphorical meanings: Giving up on something could be referred to as “striking the colors,” while nailing your colors to the mast now generally symbolizes being upfront and honest about your views. On the other hand, if you’re sailing under false colors, you're misleading others on purpose to deceive or trick them.
Passing with flying colors follows a similar path. Doing something with flying colors originally meant that your ship, regiment, or another military group performed an action while proudly displaying a flag that identified your nation. Therefore, passing with flying colors could simply mean a ship sailed by without hiding its national origin.
But as ships often flew their flags after emerging victorious from battle, with flying colors eventually came to symbolize undeniable success. The first recorded use of the phrase dates back to 1622. It's unclear when pass became the preferred verb, as at one point, come off with flying colors was common. Given our global love for tests, races, and competitions, it seems pass is here to stay.
