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Dictionary of Vexillology: F (Fracted - Fylfot)

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FRACTED
FRAME
FRAMED FLAG
FRAMED WIMPEL(S)
FRANKLIN FLAG
FRENCH SHIELD
FRET
FRETTED
FRETTY (FRETE or FRETTÉ)
FRIENDSHIP FLAG
FRINGE
FRUCTED
FRUITED
FULL ACHIEVEMENT OF ARMS
FULL DRESSING
FULL MAST (or FULL STAFF) A FLAG
FULL MOON
FUNERAL ACHIEVEMENT
FUNERAL FLAGS (or PENNANTS)
FURL(ED)
FURS
FUSELAGE MARKING
FUSIL
FUSILLY
FUSILLY BENDY (or BENDY SINISTER)
FYLFOT

FRACTED

A heraldic term used when an ordinary, such as a bar, fess or chevron, is broken in one or more places (see also ‘ordinary’).

Flag of Leuggelbach, Switzerland (fotw); Arms and Flag of Markvartice, Czechia (fotw)

FRAME

1) The wood or metal bar by which the top edge of a flag is held – but see ‘framed flag 1)’ below (also ‘cross bar’).

2) In largely (but increasingly obsolete) maritime usage, this term may also describe the rod (attached to a ship’s mast or yard by lines) that is inserted into the heading of a streamer or pennant in order to stiffen it at the hoist – but see ‘headstick’ (also ‘command pennant’ with following notes, ‘distinguishing vane’, ‘pennant 2)’, ‘streamer 2)’ and ‘vane 1)’).

FRAMED FLAG

1) A flag that is designed to be attached both along its hoist to the staff, and along its top to a side-mounted cross-bar sometimes (mistakenly) called a gonfalon - see ‘gonfalon 1)’ (also ‘cross bar’, ‘frame’ above and ‘staff 2)’.

2) See ‘outrigger flag’.

Flags of Verhnya Bilka, Guta and Zhidachev, Ukraine (fotw)

FRAMED WIMPEL(S)

See ‘Flüger’).

Framed Wimpel/Flüger of the Hamburg Customs Flag (Klaus-Michael Schneider)

FRANKLIN FLAG

An early (unofficial but used and with a variation in the order of the stripe’s colours - quite widely reproduced) pattern of the stars and stripes – the Serapis flag (see also ‘Betsy Ross flag’, ‘continental colours’, ‘eagle standard’, ‘great star flags’, ‘old glory’, ‘star-spangled banner’ and ‘stars and stripes’).

The Franklin Pattern of Stars and Stripes and Variation, 1778 (fotw & Wikipedia)

Please note that this flag was first detailed by Benjamin Franklin whilst ambassador to Paris, flown in European waters by John Paul Jones and aboard the captured HMS Serapis, and was one of the first versions to gain international recognition

FRENCH SHIELD

The term, and a literal translation of Französischer Schild, sometimes used in German language vexillology to describe a rectangular shield – see ‘rectangular shield’.

Please note that several of the terms giving shields a national identity, as well as those describing a specific type, are still in the process of standardization, and that no consistent approach has thus far been identified.

FRET

The heraldic term for a figure composed of two diagonal bendlets interlaced with a mascle (or voided lozenge), and meant to represent a section of fishing net (see also ‘bendlet’ and ‘mascle’).

Flag of Mont-de-l’Enclus, Belgium (fotw); Flag of Johannesburg, South Africa (fotw); Flag of Karmøy, Norway (fotw)

FRETTED

An alternative heraldic term for interlaced - see ‘interlaced’.

Flag and Arms of Sveta Nedelja, Croatia (fotw)

FRETTY (FRETE or FRETTÉ)

Alternative heraldic terms for a pattern of interlaced bars forming a diagonal trellis either overlapped or joined – but see ‘latticed’ (also ‘interlaced’).

Flag of São João do Campo, Portugal (fotw); Flag of Oulens-sous-Echallens, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Sobreira Formosa, Portugal (fotw)

FRIENDSHIP FLAG

A term that is used when two or more flag designs are combined into a single entity – a cut-and-paste flag (see also ‘combined flag’, ‘marshalling’, ‘union flag 1)’ and ‘union mark’).

US-Canada Friendship Flag (fotw); US, Canada and Mexico Friendship Flag (fotw); US-UK Friendship Flag (fotw)

FRINGE

A decoration of twisted thread and/or metal often (but not invariably) attached to edges of a military colour, or of a flag intended for ceremonial and/or indoor use (see also ‘colour 2)’, ‘cravat’, ‘indoor flag’ and ‘parade flag’).

Presidential standard of Kyrgyzstan (fotw); Indoor/Parade Flag of the Secretary of the Army, US (fotw); Colour of the Royal Guard 1904 – 1908, Serbia (fotw)

FRUCTED

In traditional heraldry the term used when a plant or the branch of a tree or the tree itself is bearing fruit, and generally shown in another tincture - but see ‘fruited’ (also ‘leaved’ and ‘tinctures’).

Flag of Ependes, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Pinheiro de Ázere, Portugal (fotw); Flag of Wileroltigen, Switzerland (fotw)

FRUITED

In some modern heraldry and in vexillology, the term used when a plant or tree is bearing fruit - but see ‘fructed’.

Flag of Viseu, Portugal (fotw)

FULL ACHIEVEMENT OF ARMS

See 'achievement of arms' and 'armorial bearings’.

Flag of Gloucester, UK (fotw); Achievement of Arms/Armorial Bearings of the Late Sir Winston Churchill, UK (Churchill Society); Flag of Allerdale, UK (fotw)

FULL DRESSING

1) See ‘dress ship, to 1)’ and ‘dress ship, to 4)’.

2) See ‘dressing overall 2)’ and ‘dressing overall 3)’.

A Warship of the South African Navy Dressed Overall (Andries Burgers)

FULL MAST (or FULL STAFF) A FLAG

(v & adj) To fly a flag in its normal position right up to the truck, a term generally used after a flag has spent a mourning period at half mast (see also ‘flag pole’, ‘half mast’ and ‘truck’).

FULL MOON

See ‘disk’, ‘moon 2)’ with following note and ‘per complement’.

Flag of Shan, Myanmar (fotw)

FUNERAL ACHIEVEMENT

See ‘achievement of arms 2)’.

Funeral Achievement/Armorial Bearings of the Late Sir Winston Churchill, UK (Churchill Society)

FUNERAL FLAGS (or PENNANTS)

1) In US usage, those flags or pennants flown from the cars in a funeral cortege or procession, in order to facilitate keeping that cortege together and to help other drivers avoid breaking into it, not to be confused with a pall flag or with mourning flags (see also ‘car flag’, ‘mourning flag’ and ‘pall flag’, together with ‘badge banner’, ‘bannerole’, ‘great banner’, ‘grumphion’ and ‘livery banner’).

2) The term may also be used to describe those flags – often draped with a mourning ribbon – that are carried in a funeral cortege (see also ‘draping’, ‘cravat 2)’ and ‘mourning ribbon’).

Some Funeral Flags, US (fotw)

FURL(ED)

1) (v) To wind (roll up) a colour or parade flag around its staff before it is cased – usually done with ceremony (see also ‘unfurl’(ed), ‘case’(d), ‘uncase’(d), ‘colour (2)’ and ‘parade flag’ 2)).

2) (adj) A flag is considered furled when hoisted in a rolled and/or folded condition prior to being broken out at the truck – see ‘break a flag’ (also ‘truck’).

FURS

In heraldry see ‘ermine’, ‘potent 1)’, and ‘vair’.

Potent (Flag of Unhais-o-Velho, Portugal, fotw), Ermine and Vair (Flag of Prahins, Switzerland, fotw)

FUSELAGE MARKING

1) The term sometimes used to describe a non-circular emblem of nationality employed by some nations in the same way and for the same purpose as a roundel – but see the note below, ‘roundel 1)’ and ‘wing marking(s) 1)’ (also ‘Balkenkreuz’, ‘fin flash’, ‘iron cross’ and ‘aircraft marking(s)’).
2) See ‘roundel 1)’.

Fuselage/Wing Marking of Botswana (fotw); Fuselage/Wing Marking of The Philippines (fotw); Fuselage/Wing Marking of Chile (fotw)

Notes
a) The term “fuselage” only refers to the body of an aircraft and to those markings that appear thereon, so when these same emblems appear on the wings of an aircraft they are properly called “wing markings”.
b) In some types of aircraft the description “ fuselage” can (technically speaking) include their tail plane/fin, but that the term given above should never be used to describe any markings shown thereon – see ‘fin flash’.

FUSIL

The heraldic term for an elongated lozenge - see ‘lozenge 2)’ (also ‘square lozenge’).

Arms and Flag of Boldecker Land, Germany (fotw)

FUSILLY

An alternative heraldic term for lozengy - see ‘lozengy 1)’.

Shield and Flag of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (fotw)

FUSILLY BENDY (or BENDY SINISTER)

In heraldry see ‘lozengy bendy’.

Flag of the State of Bavaria, Germany (fotw)

FYLFOT

The heraldic term for a swastika - see ‘swastika’.

Flag of the Canadian Nazi Party 1933 – 1938 (fotw)

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