Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
keep the flag flying en · VERB
Meanings
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To bid more or less rashly in order to liven up the game.
In spite of Y's double and in spite of the fact that the spade suit is not of the slightest use to him, as A cannot get any discards on it, A bids two hearts not only to keep the flag flying and prevent Z from going game but with high hopes that Y's double is a bluff.
1911, Advanced Auction Bridge, page 158:[…] all I know is that to keep the flag flying is an accepted part of bridge, […]
1929, The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality, volume 147, page 96:
Forms
Relateds
flag-flying