Striking the colors is the universally recognized indication of surrender, particularly for ships at sea. Surrender is dated from the time the ensign is struck.
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Famous quotes containing the words striking and/or colors:
“What is most striking in the Maine wilderness is the continuousness of the forest, with fewer open intervals or glades than you had imagined. Except the few burnt lands, the narrow intervals on the rivers, the bare tops of the high mountains, and the lakes and streams, the forest is uninterrupted.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“I can add colors to the chameleon,
Change shapes with Proteus for advantages,
And set the murderous Machiavel to school.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)