freak flag

English

Etymology

Reportedly originated from song lyrics for If 6 Was 9 (1967) by Jimi Hendrix[1] and was popularized by its use in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's counterculture anthem Almost Cut My Hair.[2]

Pronunciation
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Noun

freak flag (plural freak flags)

  1. (idiomatic) Unconventional or unrestrained behavior; extreme, nonconformist views; the side of one's personality which harbors a tendency toward such behavior or such views.
    • 1988 February 21, Sarah Peasley, “Swinging Singing”, in Washington Post:
      "We were just blatantly flaunting our freak flag," she says. "We were trying to be badder than anyone else—and we were getting away with it!"
    • 2000 May 21, James Poniewozik, “Books: Sex, Drugs and Subatomic Particles”, in New York Times:
      Tom Robbins, whose cosmic-absurdist, stoner-philosophical novels have moved undergraduates to scrawl So true!!! in the margins for decades, has again deputized himself to carry the freak flag of irreverence and fleshly indulgence.
    • 2007 June 10, Jason Sobel, “On the Hot Seat: Rory Sabbatini”, in ESPN.com, retrieved 26 Aug. 2008:
      Q: You've got that "Don't mess with Texas" attitude down, don't you?
      A: If you ever watched "The Family Stone," it says, "Everyone has a freak flag, so fly your freak flag proudly." So that's kind of the way I am.

References
  1. Jimi Hendrix (lyrics and music) (1967) “If 6 Was 9”, in Axis: Bold as Love, performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience: “They're hoping soon, my kind will drop and die / But I'm going to wave / My freak flag high, high ow!”
  2. David Crosby (lyrics) (1970), “Almost Cut My Hair”, in Déjà Vu, performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: “But I didn't and I wonder why / I feel like letting my freak flag fly”
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.