keep the flag flying

verb

keep the flag flying

verb
1

Bridge, Games To bid more or less rashly in order to liven up the game.

  • In spite of Y's double and in spite of the fact that the spade suit is not of the slightest use to him, as A cannot get any discards on it, A bids two hearts not only to keep the flag flying and prevent Z from going game but with high hopes that Y's double is a bluff.1911, Advanced Auction Bridge, page 158:
  • […] all I know is that to keep the flag flying is an accepted part of bridge, […]1929, The Sketch: A Journal of Art and Actuality, volume 147, page 96:
Related terms
flag-flying

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.