freak flag
nounEtymology Reportedly originated from song lyrics for If 6 Was 9 (1967) by Jimi Hendrix and was popularized by its use in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's counterculture anthem Almost Cut My Hair.
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.
- "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!"1988 February 21, Sarah Peasley, “Swinging Singing”, in Washington Post:
- 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.2000 May 21, James Poniewozik, “Books: Sex, Drugs and Subatomic Particles”, in New York Times:
1 more example
- 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.2007 June 10, Jason Sobel, “On the Hot Seat: Rory Sabbatini”, in ESPN.com, retrieved 26 Aug 2008:
- Related terms
- fly the freak flag