See with flying colors in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "The phrase originated in the Age of Exploration when ships would return to port with their flags (colors) raised to signify victory.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "with flying colours",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
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{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "American spelling"
},
"expansion": "(American spelling)",
"name": "tlb"
}
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"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "prep_phrase",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [],
"source": "w"
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{
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"kind": "other",
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{
"kind": "other",
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"parents": [],
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}
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
19,
37
]
],
"text": "He passed the test with flying colors, as everyone had expected.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner."
],
"id": "en-with_flying_colors-en-prep_phrase-9HwcZ8H-",
"links": [
[
"successfully",
"successfully"
],
[
"exceptional",
"exceptional"
],
[
"noteworthy",
"noteworthy"
],
[
"extraordinary",
"extraordinary"
],
[
"manner",
"manner"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner."
],
"related": [
{
"english": "flying colors",
"translation": "flying colors",
"word": "flying colours"
}
],
"tags": [
"US",
"idiomatic"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "成功地"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "出色地"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"lang_code": "cs",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "bez ztráty kytičky"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "met vlag en wimpel"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "glansrijk"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "liput liehuen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "mennen tullen"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "haut la main"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "mit Bravour"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "śpiewająco"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на \"Ура!\""
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "airoso"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "na slavu",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на славу"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "na ura",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на ура"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "vidminno",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "відмінно"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "na vidminno",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на відмінно"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Age of Exploration"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-with flying colors.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f3/En-au-with_flying_colors.ogg/En-au-with_flying_colors.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/En-au-with_flying_colors.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
]
}
],
"word": "with flying colors"
}
{
"etymology_text": "The phrase originated in the Age of Exploration when ships would return to port with their flags (colors) raised to signify victory.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "with flying colours",
"tags": [
"alternative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "American spelling"
},
"expansion": "(American spelling)",
"name": "tlb"
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],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "prep_phrase",
"related": [
{
"english": "flying colors",
"translation": "flying colors",
"word": "flying colours"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
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"English entries with incorrect language header",
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"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English prepositional phrases",
"English terms with usage examples",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Mandarin translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Ukrainian translations"
],
"examples": [
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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19,
37
]
],
"text": "He passed the test with flying colors, as everyone had expected.",
"type": "example"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner."
],
"links": [
[
"successfully",
"successfully"
],
[
"exceptional",
"exceptional"
],
[
"noteworthy",
"noteworthy"
],
[
"extraordinary",
"extraordinary"
],
[
"manner",
"manner"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(idiomatic) Very successfully; in an exceptional, noteworthy, or extraordinary manner."
],
"tags": [
"US",
"idiomatic"
],
"wikipedia": [
"Age of Exploration"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"audio": "En-au-with flying colors.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/f/f3/En-au-with_flying_colors.ogg/En-au-with_flying_colors.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/En-au-with_flying_colors.ogg",
"tags": [
"Australia"
]
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "成功地"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"lang_code": "cmn",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "出色地"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"lang_code": "cs",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "bez ztráty kytičky"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "met vlag en wimpel"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"lang_code": "nl",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "glansrijk"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "liput liehuen"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "mennen tullen"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "haut la main"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "mit Bravour"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"lang_code": "pl",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "śpiewająco"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на \"Ура!\""
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "airoso"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "na slavu",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на славу"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "na ura",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на ура"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "vidminno",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "відмінно"
},
{
"code": "uk",
"lang": "Ukrainian",
"lang_code": "uk",
"roman": "na vidminno",
"sense": "(idiom) very successfully",
"word": "на відмінно"
}
],
"word": "with flying colors"
}
Download raw JSONL data for with flying colors meaning in English (4.0kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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