English · Idiom Historical

flaming swords

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Swords with a wavy or flamboyant edge, used now only for state pur- poses. The Dukes of Burgundy earned swords of this sort, and they were worn in our country till the accession of William III.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “flaming swords” mean?

Swords with a wavy or flamboyant edge, used now only for state pur- poses. The Dukes of Burgundy earned swords of this sort, and they were worn in our country till the accession of William III.

Is “flaming swords” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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