honours of war
Preserved but no longer current.
The privilege allowed to an enemy, on capitulation, of being permitted to retain his offensive arms. This is the highest honour a victor can pay a vanquished foe. Sometimes the troops so treated are allowed to march with all their arms, drums beating, and colours flying.
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.
Common questions
What does “honours of war” mean?
The privilege allowed to an enemy, on capitulation, of being permitted to retain his offensive arms. This is the highest honour a victor can pay a vanquished foe. Sometimes the troops so treated are allowed to march with all their arms, drums beating, and colours flying.
Is “honours of war” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.