flag on the play

Meanings

nounflag on the play (uncountable)

slanguncountableAmerican footballA penalty flag.
Here we go at last. It's Iona's ball on their own 10 yard line; they are in punt formation — wait — there's a flag on the play.
1955, Natalie E. White, The Billion Dollar Saint: A Farce in Three Acts, Dramatists Play Service, →ISBN, page 29
1 more example
In the modern game there is perhaps no phrase more familiar than "Flag on the play!" It is an instant and unmistakable signal to every player, to the benches, and to the fans, that a penalty is about to be enforced by a game official.
2012, Robert J. Scott, Myles A. Pocta, Honor on the Line: The Fifth Down and the Spectacular 1940 College Football Season, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 146
Synonyms: laundry
USinformalslanguncommonuncountableUsed to indicate a problem or issue.
Flag on the play, I thought we were going to the mall on Sunday?

nounA penalty flag.

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APA

flag on the play. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flag%20on%20the%20play

MLA

“flag on the play.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flag%20on%20the%20play. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flag on the play,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flag%20on%20the%20play.