- BEACH (SAFETY or WARNING) FLAG (or PENNANT)
- A flag or pennant from one of several different systems for signalling the
condition of a beach, the state of the ocean or weather at that particular point,
and/or to what degree bathing safety precautions are in place – a bathing or surfing
flag/pennant, a weather or weather-warning flag/pennant, a shark alert or alarm flag/pennant, a wind, windsurf or windsurfing danger
flag/pennant or similar but see ‘blue flag’ (also
‘red flag 1)’ and
‘storm warning flag’).
Some Beach Flags and Pennants, Spain,
The Netherlands and
France
- BEACH QUALITY FLAG
- See ‘blue flag’
Beach Quality/Blue Flag, European
- BEAKED
- The heraldic term which may be used when the beak of a bird or a bird-like creature is of a different
tincture than the body (see also
armed 2),
attired,
comb(ed),
gorged,
jelloped,
langued,
membered and
tincture).
Flag of Asperen, The Netherlands;
Flag of Filisur, Switzerland;
Flag of Krukow, Germany
- BEAM CROSS
- An accurate but seldom used translation (Balken meaning a “balk”, “bar” or “beam” of
wood) of the German term Balkenkreuz.
- BEAM(S)
- 1) An expanding stripe (or stripes) which usually but not exclusively expand from a
central point in order to represent a shaft (or shafts) of light – rays – but see
radiating 1)
(also expanding stripe(s)).
2) The term may also be used to describe a horizontal arm such as those
seen on an anchor, cross or yard (see also anchor,
cross 1) and
yard).- 3) A term sometimes incorrectly used to describe a stripe
(or stripes) in place of the heraldic equivalents – see
bar,
bend,
fess and
pale.

Flag of the Soviet Air Force ca. 1940;
Flag of P’ing-tung, Taiwan;
Standard of Gaspésie, Quebec, Canada
- BEAMED
- A term sometimes incorrectly used in place of pointed see ‘pointed’
(also ‘rays 1)’).
Flag of Mississippi 1861, CS
- BEARING
- See ‘charge’ and
‘charged’.
- BEAUFORT
- An early 18th century alternative term, now obsolete, for bunting – see
‘bunting 1)’ (also
‘bewper’ and ‘breadth 2)’).
- BECKET
- A loop at the end of the hoist line of a flag that fastens to a toggle at
the end of the halyard when hoisting a flag – a running eye – but see ‘eye splice’ (also ‘halyard’,
‘hoistline’,
‘running eye and toggle’
and ‘toggle’).
![[becket]](../images/v/vxt-d038a.gif)
- BED SHEET FLAG (or BSF)
- See ‘logo on a bed sheet’.

Flag of the State of Idaho, US
- BEEF FLAG
- A flag (of unknown configuration) that was flown by supply vessels carrying foodstuffs
to the British Royal Navy during the 18th and 19th centuries
(see also ‘bullock pennant’).
- BEEF PENNANT
- See ‘bullock pennant’
(also ‘beef flag’).
- BEJEWELLED
- In heraldry see ‘gemmed’.

Arms and Flag of Tagilde, Portugal
- BELAYING PIN
- An increasingly obsolete method of securing the halyard by means of
movable vertical pins (fitted into a frame or rack at the foot of the mast)
and now largely replaced by the cleat a tack pin or jack pin (see also ‘cleat’
and ‘halyard’).
Wikipedia