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Dictionary of Vexillology: P (Padding the Sleeve - Paying Off Pennant)

Last modified: 2010-01-02 by phil nelson
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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PADDING THE SLEEVE
(v) A (largely US) practice, now obsolete, of reinforcing the sleeve of a military colour (see also ‘colour 2)’ and ‘sleeve 2)’).
PAGEANT STANDARD
A term, now obsolete, for the Scottish heraldic standard as carried on ceremonial occasions; and there are indications that it was the middle of three sizes (see also ‘battle standard’, ‘standard 5)’, and ‘great standard’).
PALE
See ‘Appendix VI’.
PALEWISE
See ‘in pale’.
PALIO
The flag that is presented in Sienna, Italy as a prize in the annual horse race of the same name (see also ‘flag tossing’).
PALL
1) On flags, a Y-shaped charge of equal width throughout, generally with two arms of the “Y” touching, or nearly touching the top and bottom corners of the hoist, meeting on the horizontal meridian and extending to the fly as a single band - as in the flags of South Africa and Vanuatu. When the two arms of the ‘Y’ are on the hoist it may be called a simple pall, with the two arms on the fly a reversed pall, with the two arms on the top edge an upright pall and with the two arms on the bottom edge of the flag an inverted pall (see also ‘inverted’, ‘reversed’) and ‘upright’).
2) In heraldry, a Y-shaped charge of equal width throughout, generally (but not exclusively) shown upright and when employed in ecclesiastical arms is usually seen with its lower point fringed and couped (see also ‘couped 2)’ and ‘fringe’).

Please note that the pall design originated as the pallium, a vestment symbolic of Arch-episcopal authority in some Christian churches (see also ‘pallia’).

[flags with pall]

From left: National Flag of the Republic of South Africa (fotw); National Flag of Vanuatu (fotw); Flag of Krsnosel'skoe, Russia (fotw); Flag of the Archbishop of Westminster, UK (Graham Bartram)

PALL FLAG
That flag which is used to cover a coffin prior to interment, or the deceased person when lying in state – a burial, interment or casket flag (see also ‘funeral flag’ and ‘mourning flag’).

Please note, not to be confused with a pall as defined above.

PALLET (or PALET)
See ‘Appendix VI’.
PALLIA (or PALLIUM)
Pre-heraldic banners of varying design presented by the Pope to indicate his approval and/or support for a person or cause (see also ‘gonfanon’, ‘pall’ and and ‘pre-heraldic’).

[pallia]
One interpretation of the Pallia given to William of Normandy in 1066 as shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and the earliest known representation of a gonfanon (fotw).

Please note that this term was derived from an item of arch-episcopal regalia – the pallium – and was almost certainly in the majority of cases a gonfanon.

PALM
A term for the square or rectangular part of any flag that carries a schwenkel, or whose fly is divided into tongues (see also ‘indentation(s)’, ‘schwenkel’, ‘swallow-tail(ed)’, ‘swallow-tail and tongue’ and ‘tongue(s)’).

[illustration of a palm]

PALY
See ‘Appendix VI’.
PAN-AFRICAN COLOURS (or COLORS)
The green, yellow and red of the Ethiopian flag, adopted by a number of newly independent countries in Africa from 1956 onwards (see also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, 'flag family', ‘pan-Arab colours’ below and ‘pan-Slavic colours’).

Ethiopia c1897 – 1996 Ghana Senegal Benin
From left: The National Flag of Ethiopia c1897 – 1996; The National Flag of Ghana (fotw); The National Flag of Senegal (fotw); National Flag of Benin (fotw)

PAN-ARAB COLOURS (or COLORS)
The white, black, red and green seen in the flags of a number of Arab countries and originally said to be based upon lines by the Arab poet Safi al-Din al-H'ly (see also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, 'flag family', ‘pan-African colours’ above and ‘pan-Slavic colours’ below).

Arab Revolt Flag Jordan Sudan United Arab Emirates
From left: Arab Revolt Flag 1917 (fotw); The National Flag of Jordan (fotw); The National Flag of the Sudan (fotw); The National Flag of the United Arab Emirates (fotw)

Please note that the lines mentioned in the definition read: “White are our deeds, black the fields of battle, our pastures are green, but our swords are red with the blood of our enemy.” and that the first flag to used these colours was the Arab Liberation Flag of 1917 (as illustrated above).

PAN-SLAVIC COLOURS (or COLORS)
The blue, white and red originally adopted by the Slavic peoples during their struggles for independence from the Ottoman and Habsburg empires, and derived from the national flag/civil ensign of the then Russian Empire (see also ‘core flag’, ‘difference’, 'flag family', ‘pan-African colours’ and ‘pan-Arab colours’ above)."

Russia Serbia Czech Republic Yugoslavia
From left: The National Flag of Russia (fotw); The State Flag of Serbia (fotw); The National Flag of the Czech Republic (fotw); National Flag of Yugoslavia 1992 – 2003 (fotw)

PANEL
The area of a flag that is surrounded by a border, the panel itself is generally (but not exclusively) used to display charges or other designs (see also ’border’, ‘charge’ and ‘pierced 1)’).
PANICLES
A term used when loosely branching clusters of flowers and/or foliage form a wreath, such as the panicles of rice on the army rank flags of Taiwan (see also ‘rank flag 1)’ and ‘wreath 1)’).

[panicles example]
flag of a Lt General, Taiwan (fotw)

PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (or PMS)
An internationally recognized proprietary system of identifying colours by a code number, and increasingly used for the official regulation of flag colours.
PAPAL CROSS
The term that describes a cross with three horizontal arms crossing the vertical, and considered to represent the Papacy – a triple-armed or triple cross (see also ‘cross 2)’, ‘cross of Lorraine’, ‘orthodox cross’ and ‘two and a half armed cross’).

Binn, Switzerland Vsetin, Czech Republic
Flag of Binn, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Vsetin, Czech Republic (fotw)

PARADE FLAG
1) Generically, the term for any flag intended to be carried outdoors in a parade situation, and made with appropriate materials and accessories.
2) Specifically, the term for that flag which is not a military colour as defined herein, but which is treated and/or accessorized as such – for example those of the Royal British Legion (see also ‘colour 2)’, ‘cord’, ‘cravat’, ‘fringe’, ‘tassels’, ‘sleeve 2)’, ‘staff’ 3)’ and ‘veterans flag’).

Please note that there are basically three ways involving a sleeve by which a parade flag or military colour may be affixed to its staff - with decorative nails (often a precisely regulated number of nails), by means of a grommet and clip, or by tab and screw (see also ‘grommet’, 'nails' ‘sleeve 2)’ and ‘tab’).

Note also however, that the practice of tying a colour/parade flag to its staff, or attaching it by cloth loops or metal rings is still occasionally seen (see also ‘grommet’, ‘sleeve 2)’, 'tab' and ‘ties’).

PARLAY (or PARLEY) FLAG
See ‘flag of truce’.
PARTI-COLOURED
See ‘counterchanged’.
PARTY
The heraldic term that may be used when a shield or banner of arms is divided into two horizontally, vertically or diagonally, or into four diagonally - see ‘per bend’, ‘per bend sinister’, ‘per fess’, ‘per pale’ and ‘per saltire’).

Please note that this term is never used alone, but always with the term describing the direction of any such division, for example party per fess.

PARTY FLAG
See ‘political flag 1)’.
PASCAL LAMB
See ‘agnus dei’.
PASSANT
See ‘Appendix V’.
PATRIARCHAL CROSS
See ‘cross of Lorraine’.
PAVILION
The heraldic term for an ermine-lined velvet robe of state that is draped from a crown or coronet and framing a royal or princely coat of arms. If behind a non-royal coat of arms it becomes a mantle (see also ‘armorial bearings’, ‘coat of arms’, ‘crown’, ‘fur’ in ‘Appendix III’ and ‘mantle’).

[pavilion]
Grand-Ducal Arms of Liechtenstein (fotw)

PAVISADE
A term for the now obsolete practice of showing a decorative display of shields, or by extension flags, along the sides of a ship.

[pavisade]
English Pavisade c1530 (CS)

PAVON
A medieval term, now obsolete, for a large triangular flag/pennant whose lower edge was at right angles to the staff.

[a possible pavon]
A Pavon (CS)

Please note that, whilst the term itself is entirely obsolete, the shape of flag (as illustrated above) is not see ‘dhvaja’ and (also ‘double-pavon’).

PAYING OFF PENNANT
An extra long version of the standard masthead pennant; it is the tradition in some navies that a ship on her final voyage, or at the end of an extended deployment out of home waters, should fly a special pennant the length of which is commensurate with the length of her last commission, or of the deployment being completed - an action pennant, a homeward bound pennant or decommissioning pennant (see also ‘masthead pennant 1) & 2)’). See supplemental note:

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