- TAB
- A small piece of leather sewn into the sleeve of a flag fastened to a screw
head protruding from the staff, and designed to keep an indoor flag, parade flag
or military colour from slipping (see also colour 2)
and sleeve 2)).
Please note that this is an alternative to a grommet
and clip or decorative nails as methods of fixing a parade flag or military colour
to its staff. It should be noted also however, that the practice of tying a parade
flag or military colour to its staff, or affixing it with metal rings, is not
entirely obsolete (see also ties).
- TABARD
- 1) In US army usage, a trumpet banner - see
bannerette.
- 2) The formal surcoat worn by a herald on ceremonial occasions, and emblazoned
with those arms appropriate to the particular office involved (see also
coat of arms 2)).
- TABLE (or TABLETOP) FLAG
- A small flag, frequently mounted on a cross bar whose staff and stand make
it suitable for display on a desk or podium a desk flag (see also flaglet
and
handwaver).
- TACK
- 1. The nautical term for a line which is spliced into (or attached to) a grommet or eyelet
at the foot of a flags hoist for securing it to its halyard (see also
grommet 1),
halyard,
hoist 2),
Inglefield clips and
tackline).
- 2. A term for the lower hoist corner of a flag (see also hoist 2)).
- TACK PIN
- See belaying pin.
- TACKLINE
- A nautical term for a length of halyard fitted with Inglefield clips at both ends which is used to separate
different signal hoists on the same halyard (see also
halyard, hoist 2)
Inglefield clips and 'tack').
- TAIL(S)
- See tongue(s).
- TAKBIR
- A term for the Arabic inscription Allahu Akbar or God is Great that has
appeared on several Arab Flags and can currently be seen on those of Iran and
Iraq (see also shahada and
zulficar).
![[Iraq - Takbir example]](../images/v/vxt-d321.gif)
National Flag of Iraq (official website)
- TALONED
- See armed (also membered).
- TANGLE ROD
- A metal implement attached to a flagpole (particularly one set at an angle
from a building) that clasps a flag and prevents it wrapping itself around the
pole (see also flag pole,
outrigger pole
and weighted fly).
- TASSELS
- A decoration of twisted fabric or metal, often surrounding a wooden core and
hanging from a cord, attached to a staff or directly onto a flag especially
a colour or parade flag (see also colour 2),
cord 1) and
parade flag).
- TATZENKREUZ
- See cross pattιe in appendix VIII
- TAU CROSS
- See cross tau in appendix VIII.
- TELEGRAPHING
- See 'semaphore 2)'.
- TEMPLATE FLAG
- See archivexillum.
- TENNΙ
- A heraldic term for the colour orange (see also
Appendix III and
rule of tincture).
- TEUTONIC CROSS
- See cross-potent in appendix VIII.
Flag of the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order c1500 (fotw)
Please note that this term should only be used when the cross so described has a direct
connection to the Teutonic Order.
- THANGKA
- A Buddhist prayer flag or wall hanging that depicts scenes from the life and
teachings of the Buddha (see also prayer flag
and religious flag).
- THREE-TONGUED
- See swallowtail and tongue
(also triple tongued 2)).
- THREE-STRIPED FLAG
- See triband and tricolour.
- THREEMOUND (or THREEMOUNT)
- See coupeau (also mount).
- TIERCΙ (or TIERCED)
- The heraldic term used when a shield or banner of arms is divided into three parts in two or three different
tinctures or patterns but see triband 1),
tricolour 1) and note below.
Arms of Dobrovnik, Slovenia (fotw); Flag of Gettnau, Switzerland; Flag of Mont-sur-Rolle,
Switzerland (fotw); of Flag of Correvon, Switzerland (fotw)
Please note that a field divided in tiercι may be described in several different
ways and it is suggested that a glossary or heraldic dictionary be consulted for full details, however, among
those ways are per fess, per pale or per bend depending upon whether it is horizontal, vertical or diagonal
see bend, fess and pale in appendix vi (also
per bend and
per bend sinister).
- TIES
- Pieces of fabric or lengths of ribbon used in the largely (but not entirely)
obsolete practice of tying a flag to its staff or mast.
Please note that the increasingly (but by no means entirely) obsolete
practice of cutting the sleeve (through which the staff is inserted) of a military
colour or parade flag into separate sections (with
gaps in between) is almost certainly based on the earlier use of ties
(see also sleeve 2)).
- TINCTURES
- The heraldic term for the colours, metals and furs used on a shield or banner
of arms (see 'Appendix III').
- TOGGLE
- An oval-shaped wood or plastic cross-piece attached to a hoist-line sewn into
the heading of a flag, that fastens to a becket or eyesplice at the upper end
of the halyard for hoisting the flag on a mast or pole (see also
becket,
halyard,
heading,
hoistline plus
running eye and toggle).
- TONGUE(S)
- One or more horizontal projections extending from the fly of a flag, either varying in
width/length or of even size, sometimes triangular or possibly straight-sided with rounded
or squared ends - tails (see also
fly 1), 'gonfalon',
gonfanon,
'multi-tailed',
pallia,
palm,
schwenkel,
'square-tongued',
stepped fly,
swallow-tail(ed)
swallowtail and tongue and
triangular-ended tails).
- TONGUED
- See langued.
- TOPPED
- 1) In vexillology a term that may be used to place the uppermost detail of a charge for example
when an orb and cross appear on the central point of a crown (see also charge 2).
- 2) In heraldry see ensigned.
- TORSE
- A heraldic wreath - see wreath 2).
- TORUS
- See ring 1).
- TOUG
- A term for the horsetail decorated standard, now obsolete, of certain
regiments of French cavalry - the Spahis originally raised from North African
tribesmen a tugh (see also horsetail,
standard 2) and
'tugh 1)'.
- TOWER TOWERED (or TURRETED)
- The heraldic term used when a narrower tower or turret rises above the embattled top of another
tower or turret, with the number of any such towers or turrets (if more than one) given for
example (as per two of those shown blow) a tower triple-towered (see also
embattled).
From left: Arms of Seia, Portugal (ICA) Flag of Castile-La Mancha, Spain; Naval Jack of Spain (fotw)
Please note that other variants might include a tower with a
steeple or a tower domed (or with a cupola), with the example given below being a tower
triple towered with one domed.
Flag of Hamburg, Germany (fotw)
