TERMIUM Plus®

From: Translation Bureau

On social media

Consult the Government of Canada’s terminology data bank.

WRONG FLAG [1 record]

Record 1 2026-01-08

English

Subject field(s)
  • Naval Forces
  • War and Peace (International Law)
CONT

Treacherous and barbarous methods. Ruses of war are considered permissible. Methods, however, which involve treachery are forbidden. Thus it is forbidden ... to make use of false flags ... especially those of the enemy ....

CONT

To deceive the ships they preyed on, pirates would often run a 'friendly' flag - that is, they displayed false colors to fool their victims and lure them close enough so they could be overwhelmed. The term false colors had begun to be used figuratively by 1700 or even earlier...

French

Domaine(s)
  • Forces navales
  • Guerre et paix (Droit international)
Key term(s)
  • faux drapeau

Spanish

Save record 1

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2026
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Features

GCtranslate (available on the Government of Canada network only)

Use this artificial intelligence prototype to translate Government of Canada content up to and including Protected B. Available to employees of selected departments and agencies only.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: