red flag: Meaning and Definition of

red' flag'

1. the symbol or banner of a left-wing revolutionary party.
2. a danger signal.
3. something that provokes an angry or hostile reaction: The talk about raising taxes was a red flag to many voters.
4. Also calleda red burgee, designating in the International Code of Signals the letter “B,” flown by itself to show that a vessel is carrying, loading, or discharging explosives or highly inflammable material.
5. (caps.) a war game the U.S. Air Force holds several times each year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to train personnel in air combat.

red-flag

1. to mark or draw attention to for a particular purpose: The department has red-flagged the most urgent repair work to be done.
2. to provoke the attention of; alert; arouse: The animal's refusal to eat red-flagged the keeper that something was wrong.

1. of or pertaining to a red flag.
2. intended or serving to emphasize, warn, incite, or provoke.