sail under false colors
To deceive or intentionally mystify.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He is sailing under false colors by pretending to be an expert.”
“The company was sailing under false colors when they claimed their product was environmentally friendly.”
“The politician sailed under false colors throughout the campaign, hiding his true intentions behind a mask of populist rhetoric.”
- 01
crowd sail
To carry an unusual amount of sail in an attempt to accelerate the speed of a vessel.
- 02
sail the high seas
To engage in piracy.
- 03
sail the Red Sea
To have vaginal sex with a woman during her menstruation
- 04
show one's true colors
To reveal how one really is, as opposed to how one has been portrayed or after having been deceptively and deliberately misleading.
- 05
take the wind out of someone's sails
To discourage someone greatly; to cause someone to lose hope or the will to continue; to thwart or minimize someone's ambitions.
Last updated August 10, 2026