false colors
plural noun
the flag of a country other than one's own, especially when used deceptively: sailing under false colors.
false or deceptive actions or statements; misrepresentation.
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Origin of false colors
1565–75, for literal sense
Words nearby false colors
false card, false cast, false cirrus, false cognate, false color, false colors, false colour, false colours, false conjugate, false consciousness, false cyst
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Idioms and Phrases with false colors
false colors
Pretense, misrepresentation, or hypocrisy; deceptive statements or actions. For example, She's sailing under false colors—she claims to be a Republican, but endorses Democratic legislation. This term alludes to the practice of pirate ships sailing under false colors—that is, running a particular flag specifically to lure another vessel close enough to be captured. [Late 1600s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.