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Crosses, crescents, stars and charges as they appear on national and other flags.
A flag's device usually has a documented adoption date and an authority behind it, which makes flags better evidenced than most symbol settings. Where a design descends from a coat of arms, the heraldic reading applies and the blazon is the authoritative description rather than any particular rendering.
These records say so themselves — the setting appears in the symbol's own reviewed description or in one of its documented meanings.
Showing the 48 most firmly placed of 78. Browse by domain to see every symbol in the catalogue.
Blue and white chequers, the N flag.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the race is abandoned and no result will…”
White and blue swallow-tail: a diver is down, keep clear at slow speed.
Its visual description places it there: “A swallow-tailed flag, white in the hoist half and blue in the fly…”
A navy blue wheel with twenty-four evenly spaced spokes.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “Denotes the dharmachakra as adopted for the flag of India: a navy blue wheel of exactly twenty-four…”
Eight three-line trigrams arranged around a centre, in one of two standard orders.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…and in feng shui floor plans, and appears on the flag of South Korea in a reduced set of four trigrams”
Red-and-yellow, red, black-and-white chequered — and the one that is not a warning.
Its visual description places it there: “Rectangular flags on poles at the water's edge: one divided horizontally…”
Split diagonally, black and white.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning a warning for unsporting behaviour; a…”
Plain black, with a car number.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the competitor named on the accompanying…”
An orange circle on black.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the car has a mechanical problem that…”
A five-pointed black star on a gold band.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “Denotes African emancipation on the flag of Ghana, drawn as a black five-pointed star on…”
Plain blue.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning a faster competitor is close behind…”
Plain red swallow-tail: dangerous cargo.
Its visual description places it there: “A plain red swallow-tailed flag, cut into two points at the fly and carrying…”
A red maple leaf with eleven points.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “Denotes Canada as the sole device of its national flag, adopted in 1965: a stylised red maple leaf on…”
Black and white squares.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the end of the session or race, shown…”
A small flag that falls when time runs out.
Its visual description places it there: “A small rectangular flag on a short pivot above the twelve position of…”
A sixteen-petalled chrysanthemum flower seen from directly above.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…de facto national emblem: the 1999 Act on the National Flag and Anthem specifies the flag and anthem only…”
A pictorial description sheet.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…which is the same requirement that produced the signal flags and the spelling alphabet”
Yellow with a broad blue band: keep clear, I am manoeuvring with difficulty.
Its visual description places it there: “A rectangular flag in three horizontal bands: yellow, a broader…”
A spoked wheel representing the Buddha's teaching.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…Indian traditions beyond Buddhism, including on the flag of India as the Ashoka Chakra, where it carries…”
The full string of code flags flown for ceremony, spelling nothing.
Its summary places it there: “A vessel strung bow to stern with signal flags is not signalling. The order is chosen for colour…”
Blue and white vertical stripes.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the whole start is void and the fleet…”
A plain silver cross bearing St George and the dragon, for gallantry away from the enemy.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…gallantry decoration and is why the cross appears on the flag of Malta”
Plain green.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the hazard is cleared and normal racing…”
A glass, an umbrella, a chain.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…the orienteering control descriptions and the signal flags”
A blue cross on white.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning one or more boats were over the line…”
The treaty-adopted flag code every seagoing vessel carries.
Its summary places it there: “…distinction that makes it usable is between a flag flown alone, which carries a defined message, and the same…”
Two joined loops on a flag.
Its description places it there: “Two joined loops on a flag”
Tiananmen gate under five stars in a wheat and rice wreath.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “Shares its five-star arrangement with the national flag, one large star and four smaller ones arranged…”
The assistant referee's raised flag, then angled to show where the offence occurred.
Its visual description places it there: “A rectangular flag on a short handle, held vertically above the…”
Red and yellow diagonal: man overboard.
Its visual description places it there: “A rectangular flag divided from the upper hoist corner to the lower…”
Horizontal bands of red, black and green.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “…also called Pan-African and appears on many national flags”
A skeletal globe of intersecting rings on a stand.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “Denotes Portugal on its national flag, drawn as a yellow armillary sphere behind the…”
Red and white stripes, the AP flag.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the race is postponed and the starting…”
A red flag on the boat.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning this boat intends to protest another…”
Plain yellow: my vessel is healthy and I request free pratique.
Its visual description places it there: “A plain yellow rectangular flag carrying no device”
Horizontal stripes in the colours of the spectrum, the flag of LGBTQ pride.
Its description places it there: “Horizontal stripes in the colours of the spectrum, the flag of LGBTQ pride”
A flag divided red over yellow, marking the lifeguarded bathing area.
Its summary places it there: “…water, outside them you are not. It is the one beach flag that means something positive, and it is regularly…”
Vertical red and yellow stripes.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the track surface ahead is slippery from…”
A plain red flag flown at a beach, meaning the water is closed to bathing.
Its visual description places it there: “A plain rectangular flag of a single colour, flown from a staff at the…”
A red cross on a white ground, protected under the Geneva Conventions.
Its a documented meaning places it there: “Adopted in 1864 as the inverse of the flag of Switzerland, in honour of the country where the…”
Plain red.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the session is stopped; all competitors…”
Red for a foul.
Its visual description places it there: “A plain red rectangular flag on a short staff, raised vertically by the judge…”
A red tractor in a flag device, certifying British farm assurance standards.
Its visual description places it there: “…from the side in solid colour, set inside a rectangular flag device with a bordered edge”
Two overlapping squares forming an eight-pointed star.
Its summary places it there: “…adopted decoratively and appears on several national flags and coats of arms”
A diagonal cross in the form of an X.
Its summary places it there: “…cross. It is a heraldic charge — most familiar as the flag of Scotland — and in Christian tradition is associated…”
Blue and white, the S flag.
Its summary places it there: “The signal flag meaning the course has been shortened and the…”
Five stripes: blue, white, red, white, blue.
Its visual description places it there: “A rectangular flag of five horizontal stripes, blue at top and bottom…”
Blue over red, halved.
Its visual description places it there: “A rectangular flag divided horizontally, blue in the upper half…”
A red diamond on white.
Its visual description places it there: “A white rectangular flag carrying a red diamond standing on its point…”
If you can describe what you saw as well as where, say both: “winged skull on a gravestone” narrows a list of 78 to a handful.