trooping the colour
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A military ceremonial parade in which the regimental flag, the colour, is carried between files of troops and received by the sovereign or a representative.
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 “trooping the colour” mean?
A military ceremonial parade in which the regimental flag, the colour, is carried between files of troops and received by the sovereign or a representative.
Is “trooping the colour” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.