[etni] "flying colors" A-HA!

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to all 9th grade teachers, who teach "flying colors":
(maybe it should be in the next addition of the teachers' guide)

" To "pass with flying colors," meaning "to succeed or win by a wide margin" 
does indeed come from nautical lingo, "colors" in this sense meaning the 
naval flags or pennants flown from a ship's masts. The phrase (originally, 
in the late 17th century, "to come off with flying colors") most likely 
referred to a battleship which had been victorious in an encounter with the 
enemy and emerged from the fray with its ensigns still flying, indicating 
that no severe damage was done to the vessel."

The Word Detective is written by Evan Morris

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