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Dictionary of Vexillology: H (Hooch flag - Hussar Cut)

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HOOCH FLAG
HOOKED-CROSS
HORIZONTAL BICOLOUR
HORIZONTAL LATIN CROSS
HORIZONTAL MERIDIAN (or MEDIAN)
HORIZONTAL MULTI-STRIPE
HORIZONTAL TRIBAND
HORIZONTAL TRICOLOUR
HORN(S)
HORNED
HORN OF PLENTY
HORSE-HEAD SHIELD
HORSESHOE(S)
HORSETAIL
HORSETAIL STANDARD
HOUSE FLAG (or HOUSE PENNANT)
HOUSE MARK (or HOUSE BRAND)
HOUSEWIMPEL
HUNTING HORN
HURT
HUSBAND PENNANT (or WIMPEL)
HUSSAR CUT

HOOCH FLAG

In US military usage (particularly during the Vietnam War) the colloquial term for a small, entirely unofficial, company or unit flag.

HOOKED-CROSS

See ‘swastika’.

Flag of the National Socialist Front, Sweden (fotw)

HORIZONTAL BICOLOUR

See ‘bicolour 1)’ and ‘bicolour 2)’ (also ‘over’).

Civil Flag of Niederösterreich, Austria (fotw); Naval Jack of Ukraine (fotw)

HORIZONTAL LATIN CROSS

See ‘off-centred cross2)’ and ‘Scandinavian cross’ (also ‘Latin cross’).

Flag of Domingos Martins, Brazil (fotw); Flag of the Aland Islands (fotw)

HORIZONTAL MERIDIAN (or MEDIAN)

See ‘meridian’.

HORIZONTAL MULTI-STRIPE

See ‘multi-stripe’.

Flag of Aragon, Spain (fotw); Flag of Minorca, Spain (fotw)

HORIZONTAL TRIBAND

See ‘triband 1)’ and ‘triband 2)’.

National Flag of Argentina (fotw); Civil Flag of Nicaragua (fotw)

HORIZONTAL TRICOLOUR

See ‘tricolour 1)’ and ‘tricolour 2)’.

National Flag of Croatia (fotw); National Flag of the Netherlands (fotw)

HORN(S)

1) Concerning a musical instrument in heraldry see ‘bugle horn’.
2) Concerning an animal in heraldry see ‘attire(s)’.

Flag and Arms of Troubky, Czechia (fotw & Wikipedia); Flag and Arms of Trzebiel, Poland (fotw)

HORNED

In heraldry see ‘attired’.

Flag and Arms of Mettembert, Switzerland (fotw & Wikipedia)

HORN OF PLENTY

See ‘cornucopia’.

Seal and Flag of Bakersfield, US (wikipedia and fotw)

HORSE-HEAD SHIELD

The term sometimes used to describe a shield of the decorative, post-medieval type most often seen in Italian personal and civic heraldry but see note below - an ‘Italian shield’.

The Arms of Messina, Italy (ita24)

Please note that several of the terms giving shields a national identity, as well as those describing a specific type, are still in the process of standardization, and that no consistent approach has thus far been identified.

HORSESHOE(S)

1) In heraldry a charge that, unless blazoned otherwise should always be shown with its open ends downward – a fer-de-cheval see also ‘blazon’).
2) In vexillology a charge, sometimes undetailed, that has no specific orientation.

Flag of Dribin, Belarus (fotw); Arms and Flag of Poczesna, Poland (fotw)

HORSETAIL

A decoration for military flags, especially in China where it is usually red; made of real or simulated horsehair and is almost certainly descended from a Mongolian vexilloid (see also ‘tugh 1)’).

Please note that the standards of some former French cavalry units (notably the Spahis originally raised in North Africa) were also decorated by horsetails - see ‘toug’.

HORSETAIL STANDARD

See ‘tugh 1)’ and ‘toug’.

Turkish Horsetail Standards (worldimages)

HOUSE FLAG (or HOUSE PENNANT)

1) The distinguishing flag or pennant of a merchant marine company flown at sea by ships owned or managed by that company, and from their headquarters on shore – a shipping or shipping company house flag or pennant (see also ‘flags and funnels’, ‘logo’, ‘pennant 2)’) and ‘whaling flags’.

2) See ‘corporate flag’.

3) The personal flag of the owner of a pleasure vessel or home – a private signal (see also ‘personal flag 2)’).

4) See ‘battle flag 2)’.

Black Diamond Co, Canada (fotw); Green and Co., US (fotw); Alaska Steamship Co., US (fotw); White Star Line, UK (fotw)

HOUSE MARK (or HOUSE BRAND)

In Continental usage the term, and a translation of the German hausmarken or housmarke, that may be used to describe the symbol or symbols used by non-armigerous tradesmen in place of a coat of arms – a house brand or merchant mark (see also ‘armigerous’, ‘coat of arms 2)’ and ‘mark 2)’)

Flag and Arms of Hiddensee Island, Germany (fotw & Wikipedia); Arms of Bobenheim am Berg Germany (Wikipedia); Arms of Grantschen, Germany (Wikipedia); Arms of Lamprechtshausen, Austria (Wikipedia).

HOUSEWIMPEL

See ‘house flag 1)’.

Housewimpel/House Pennant of The Blue Star Line, UK (fotw)

Please note that the correct term in English language vexillology is house pennant - see ‘wimpel’ and following note.

HUNTING HORN

In heraldry see ‘bugle horn’.

Arms and Flag of Bilje, Croatia (fotw)

HURT

The heraldic term for a blue disc – a roundel azure (see also ‘bezant’, ‘plates’, ‘roundel 3)’ and ‘torteau’).

Hurt example, Flag of Lenzburg, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Bodenfelde, Germany (fotw)

Please note that in strict English heraldic usage this term should only be applied when the charge described in blue (“azure”) – see ‘tinctures’.

HUSBAND PENNANT (or WIMPEL)

In Scandinavian (particularly Finnish) usage the colloquial term, and a direct translation of the Finnish “isännänviiri” or Swedish “husbondsvimpel”, used for a provincial wimpel – see ‘provincial wimpel’ (also ‘wimpel’).

Husband Pennant/Provincial Wimpel of Kainuu, Finland (fotw)

HUSSAR CUT

A variation of the swallow-tail in which the cut in the fly of the flag is shaped by several curves, and was formerly typical of the flags used by Prussian later German cavalry regiments (see also ‘descate’, ‘palm’, ‘guidon 2)’, ‘indentation(s)’, ‘rounded swallow-tail’ and ‘swallow-tail(ed)’).

2nd Hussar Regiment, Prussia c1740 (fotw); Cavalry Guidons, Hamburg 1709 (fotw)

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