Dictionary

nail one's colours to the mast en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Etymology

From the naval military practice of displaying one's colours (signal flags or insignia) from the mast of a ship during battle to show loyalty. To surrender, one would strike one's colours, i.e. take down one's flag. If a ship nailed its colours to the mast, it would fight to the death and not surrender.

Meanings

1. To clearly show one's support for a side or opinion in a dispute, often indicating an intention to defend that side to the end.
   • He eventually nails his colours to the mast of strict determinism: every human action is inescapably caused by preceding events in the world, including events in the brain. 2017 June 9, Steven Poole, “Behave by Robert Sapolsky review – why do we do what we do?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • Stood for his country’s glory fast, And nail’d her colours to the mast! 1808, Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto I, Introduction, Stanza 10:
   • Changes are coming down the line - from GBR, Green Book, devolution, and how regions are funded and governed. These changes are all convincing SYMCA [South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority] to pin its colours to a mast and show its vision for its region. 2026 April 1, Richard Wilcock, “South Yorkshire's sights on a People's Network”, in RAIL, number 1058, page 23:

Forms

Relateds

stand up and be counted · raise the flag and see who salutes · show one's true colors

Translations (5)

de Farbe bekennen (to clearly show one's support) · de nicht kapitulieren (to clearly show one's support) · fi liputtaa ... puolesta (to clearly show one's support) · de hartnäckig aushalten (to clearly show one's support) · pl obnosić się ze swoimi poglądami (to clearly show one's support)