The idiom to pass with flying colors is taken from a nautical custom. For example a common use of the phrase is to refer to someone having passed a test or other examination with flying colors ie. Phrase Of The Day 06oct19 Idioms And Phrases Phrase Of The Day English Vocabulary Words In the past if a ship or an army lost a battle it had to take down its colours the national flag. Phrase Flying Colours . COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. To be flying the colors meant the ship had won. They both passed with flying colours. Definitions usage examples and translations inside. Passed the test easily or with an exceptionally high score. Pass with flying colours. By 1700 or so it was being used figuratively signifying any kind of triumph. We told Grandma that her cake was delicious which was actually a white lie. If you pass a test with flying colours you have done very well in the test. See full dictionary entry for colour. If you do something such as pass a...