English · Idiom Historical

knight of the square flag

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A knight banneret, in allusion to cutting off the points of his pennon when he was raised to this rank on the battlefield.

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 “knight of the square flag” mean?

A knight banneret, in allusion to cutting off the points of his pennon when he was raised to this rank on the battlefield.

Is “knight of the square flag” formal or informal?

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

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