| HANKY | WORN ON LEFT | WORN ON RIGHT | |
| WHITE | jerk me off | I’ll do us both | |
| WHITE VELVET | voyeur | will put on a show | |
 |
WHITE w/MULTICOLOR Dots | hosting an orgy | looking for an orgy |
| CREAM | cum fetish (mine) | cum fetish (yours) | |
 |
BLACK/WHITE check | safe sex top | safe sex bottom |
 |
BLACK/WHITE stripes | kissing | kissing |
| BLACK | SM top | SM bottom | |
| BLACK VELVET | has/takes videos | will perform for the camera | |
| CHARCOAL | latex fetish | latex fetish | |
| GREY, Dark | bondage – ties | fit to be tied | |
| GREY, Light | stone – I’ll fuck you | stone – just fuck me | |
| SILVER LAME | celebrity/titleholder | starfucker | |
| OLIVE DRAB | military | civil “servant” | |
| GREEN, Hunter | looking for orphan | looking for daddy | |
| ——— | GREEN (Hunter) W/ Green (Kelly) Stripe | sugardaddy | looking for sugardaddy |
| GREEN, Kelly | hooker (for rent) | trick (looking to buy) | |
| GREEN, Mint | looking for orphan | looking for mummy | |
| GREEN, Light | dirty talk | dirty talk | |
| GREEN, Lime | dines off tricks (wants food) | dinner plate (will buy dinner) | |
| AQUA | watersex | watersex | |
| BLUE, Teal | genital torturer | genital torturee | |
| BLUE, Robin’s Egg | 69 | 69 | |
| BLUE, Light | gives oral | wants oral | |
| ——— | BLUE, Light w/ light PINK stripe | sucks dildo | suck my dildo |
| BLUE, Navy | fucking / TOP | fucking / BOTTOM | |
| VELVET, NAVY | watches masturbation | will masturbate for audience | |
| PURPLE | piercer | piercee | |
| LAVENDER | X dresser / dragster | likes X dressers / drag | |
| MAUVE | worship my navel | has a navel fetish | |
| FUCHSIA | spanker | spank me | |
| MAGENTA | suck my pits | armpit lover | |
| MAROON | cuts | bleeds | |
| ——— | w/ MAROON stripe | into blood | into blood |
| RED, Dark | 2-handed fister | 2-handed fistee | |
| RED | fist fucker | fist fuckee | |
| ——— | RED/WHITE Stripes | shaver | shavee |
 |
RED CROSS | HIV positive | HIV positive |
| PINK, Dark | tit torturer | tit torturee | |
| PUCE | bruiser | bruise me | |
| PINK, Light | dildo wielder | dildo fuckee | |
| YELLOW, Pale | spits | spit on me | |
| YELLOW, Bright | watersports – pisses | watersports – drinks/wears | |
| MUSTARD | hung (carries) | size queen | |
| GOLD | 2 looking for one | 1 looking for two | |
| GOLD LAME | likes muscles | likes muscles | |
| ORANGE | looking to lead | open to suggestion | |
| CORAL | suck my toes | shrimper (sucks toes) | |
| RUST | cowboy | cowboy’s horse | |
| BEIGE | rimmer | rim me | |
| TAN | cigarplay – Clinton | cigarplay – Lewinsky | |
| BROWN | scat – gives | scat – receives | |
 |
GREY FLANNEL | owns a suit | likes suits |
 |
BLUE/WHITE GINGHAM | milker | milkee |
 |
PURPLE FLANNEL | trans dude | trans dude |
 |
PURPLE GINGHAM | trans grrrl | trans grrrl |
 |
PURPLE SEQUINS | genderqueer | genderqueer |
 |
PINK, Light w sparkles | unicorn | unicorn fancier |
 |
RED/WHITE GINGHAM | parks | parks |
 |
LEOPARD | has tattoos | likes tattoos (art critic) |
 |
HOUNDSTOOTH | biter | bite me |
 |
ARGYLE | geek | likes geeks |
 |
TARTAN, Caledonian | fully clothed | fully naked |
 |
w/ Flower Pattern | romance –
pitching the woo
|
romance –
woo me
|
 |
TIE-DYE | hippie | looking for hippies |
 |
WINE STAIN | drunk | drunk |
 |
BROWN CORDUROY | headmaster | student |
 |
TWEED | (prof) hot for student | hot for prof |
 |
FUR | beastplay – zoophile | beastplay – animal |
 |
CALICO | new in town | into tourists |
 |
BLANKET | seeking massage | masseuse |
 |
MOSQUITO NETTING | outdoors | outdoors |
 |
DOILY | tea party dom
(serve me)
|
tea party sub
(server)
|
 |
Teddy Bear | cuddler | cuddlee |
 |
My Little Pony | rides ponies | pony |
 |
TOILET PAPER | public toilets
(seeks service) |
public toilets
(offers service) |
 |
PLASTIC BAG | likes trashbaggery | likes trashbaggery |
 |
TAMPON | menstruating | likes menstrual blood |
 |
LEMON | gives enemas | give me an enema |
 |
CELERY | expects brunch | brunch included |
 |
TOOTHBRUSH | lover’s out,
my place ok |
your place only |
 |
NAPKIN w/ my mobile no. | dirty sms me | dirty sms me |
 |
USB cord | blogging about this afterwards | write me up (you can borrow my laptop) |
 |
ROPE | suspender | suspend me |
 |
ELECTRIC TAPE | electricutor
|
electrify me |
Not “Gay” Flagging: an index of our revisions to the traditional flagging code.
WORN AROUND THE WRIST: curious
WORN AROUND THE UPPER ARM: into it
WORN AROUND THE NECK: adept & versatile
- or, the position of a knot indicates that side: (L) top * (C) versatile * (R) bottom
WORN AROUND THE HEAD: extreme (usually around master or sub cap)
W/STRIPE: can be a single stripe, stripes, or trim.
- stripes take on the left/right association of the base colour. ie, light blue with maroon stripe: (L) gives head to bleeder * (R) wants head, is bleeding.
Orifice disambiguation: (Black as neutral/standard)
- in the butt flag = w/star
- in the vag flag = w/ triangle
- in the mouth or on the face flag = w/ circle or polkadots
At home I have a black bandana with sparkly rainbow hairs on it. Wondering what y’all reckon it means?
Or should I just wear it out and see what happens?
Not sure about yr black with rainbow hairs? it’s hard to imagine… Max said there are no ‘body hair flags’ but I think that could come close, if you can get flags with actual hair on them…
yeah it’s hard to explain online, it’s kinda black with sparkle glitter bits that make it hairy… erm… i’ll have to wear it around y’all sometime.
I tried googling ‘glitter hairy bandana’ just in case it was a super fashionable product from some time, but all i got was a pumpkin wearing a blue bandana around their ‘neck’, and a pirate keychain photo.
http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/c/processRequest.do?requestURI=processProductsCatalog&sku=OTCG804&tabId=6&cm_re=zone2-_-tab2-_-link10
(this is not what my banadana looks like.)
you know, since reading this blog i’ve started to see flags everywhere [especially where someone isn’t actually flagging, hah].
so thanks for new perspectives, and i hope you all keep writing.
Love your work. Also how about flags for tribadism? Also frotage?
totally! Though I thought that frotage and tribadism were the same act? We have thought about that act but are stuck on what colour/print to assign to it, do you have any ideas?
For some reason I always thought frottage was with clothes on and tribbing was without, like dry humping versus actual genitals touching, I’m not sure where I got that from though so it could just be me… and yeah you’re right it’s hard to think of what to assign to it as there’s nothing really obvious to use, or a similar one to take from. Will keep thinking about it.
I’m thinking denim, mostly cause I’ve always thought dry humping involved clothing.
I noticed holstein (cow print) was missing. Some lesbians have a lactation/breast feeding fetish.
check it: https://flaggingopinicusrampant.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/want-milk/
So the post you’re referencing explains better what the holstein cow print is for representing. And you’re saying it has to do with squirting or a mans ejaculate?
I’m curious about what @Mae was referencing. More specifically suckling breasts, wet (w milk) or dry (not producing milk). I LOVE to have my breasts suckled. It would be great to know if there was a flag for *that*.
Do you have one for ‘untamed heart’? My good friend said that was me in her birthday book. I’d flag that.
Orange with flower pattern, left?
Do you think it will go with my eyes?
Ears! Oral Aural!
Why no flags for cunt eating?
opinicus rampant is a pan gender hanky code, where hankies signify actions without referencing body types (biological junk). ie light blue, left = “gives head”
how is the term “head” anything but cock or dildo specific?
Giving head or getting head is a euphemism for oral sex, not just fellatio. Head being in reference to your own head, being given, or your partners head, being gotten.
Because the ‘head’ is in reference to the giver, not the receiver of oral sex. The person recieving oral sex is not ‘giving head’, they are ‘getting head’, ‘head’ is not in reference to the head of a penis or a dildo.
I hear “giving head” used for cunnilingus pretty commonly but I guess “eating out” is probably more specific – I’ll change it to “gives oral sex” and “wants oral sex”?
hey your using my tumblr icon! you know thats actually a girl. :D
Oh, you made it! Hot! Do you want me to credit it to you somehow?
And yeah, I am a girl.
Please explain the lemon.
:)
[…] tan colouring just screams, “versatile for cigarplay”, doesn’t […]
Can you clarify the trans*/genderqueer flags – is one side “is trans/genderqueer” and the other side “is looking for/is into” or are both sides flagging identity and then where they are a Top or a bottom?
Also changing Navy from “Anal” to “fucking” seems confusing. “Anal” is a specific kind of fucking while fucking can be many different things to different people. Could this be changed back to “Anal” and add other flags for other kinds of fucking (there is already dildos, is a flag needed for missionary hetero sex? I dunno, not my bag)
I have some other ideas for new flags. will add these to the Flags, we wrote page
Both sides of the trans* & genderqueer hankies flag identity and then top/bottom orientation. We aren’t into fetishisation of trans identities. If you click the hanky name, it links to the discussion: https://flaggingopinicusrampant.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/trans-flagging/
There was this discussion of navy blue but I don’t know where it’s gone – it was related to making hanky code pangender. You can’t flag “missionary hetero sex” because you can’t flag for gender. We didn’t want orifice disambiguation except on one’s own body. I can see your point though, seeking anal sex doesn’t imply anything about one’s gender whether flagging giving or receiving, it’s no different to rimming or scat in that regard, so maybe we should rethink that.
A while back, female ejaculation was listed as blue/white gingham and milking was listed as cow print (holstein). Now blue/white represents lactation and female specific ejaculation is removed. I am not sure why milk is associated with cum or ejaculation in the other article listed. The difference between the two fetishes seemed to be more clear before the changes. But that is just my opinion.
Another list where holstein is listed as milk http://user.xmission.com/~trevin/hanky.html
I am also confused by association of blue and white gingham with milk. I thought it chosen because blue is fucking and white is ejaculation. So the gingham print would the combination of the two activities. Most of the people I know associate the cows print with milk and lactation.. udders, breast, etc.
But I understand that the cow=female would be offensive. That part is really clear.
I think the gingham is a reference to what we think of as a traditional milk-maid’s outfit. The 2 main gingham colours are red/white (which looks more like a picnic blanket or tablecloth) and blue/white (white is reminiscent of Dorothy Gale’s dress).
Maybe it’s just me, but I suppose it would make more sense if B+W gingham were female ej. and cream was lactation. That would remove the cow reference but still have the milk association. But this is queer/pan flagging, so I suppose a body-specific activity such as lactation would be removed.
ha ha ha sorry, stupid question… is left MY left, or the viewer’s left??
not stupid at all! YOUR LEFT>
Traditionally, the hanky was situated in the back pocket. Therefore, when viewing someone’s flagging – ‘on the left’ was BOTH your left and their left.
Are paisleys considered to be their base color, or do they mean something special?
Paisleys are just the base colour because the standard hankies used for flagging are paisley. It doesn’t matter if the print is black or white or another colour.
I have a black hanky with white jolly rogers on it, which I’ve been using under the assumption that it would serve dual purpose S&M/handjobs (or else butt pirating)… but some of my friends disagree. I have heard the opinion that it should be for “shivering the timbers” but that leads to confusion about what, exactly shivering someone’s timbers entails. What are your thoughts?
[…] Hanky Code « flagging opinicus rampant fit to be tied GREY, Light bondage – ties […]
[…] This is an expanded hanky code chart, building upon the traditional meanings. (A screen reader friendly version of this chart is available here.) […]
Hmmm…guess I need to find both navy blue and light pink to flag on the right…or navy blue with a light pink stripe if I read that correctly.
Of course, it’ll only work if others know the code…
I wish this was more widely used/accepted in the lesbian/ftm world. I identify as lesbian, but am often wrongly pegged as a butch top because of my short hair, tattoos, and sense of style. In reality I am a versatile bottom who’s never really been able to enjoy being a bottom. I also am extremely into wanting to be topped by someone with a strap-on. Also, I female-ejaculate…so I’ve got 3 very different, specific things about me I would like to be made known if I’m at a gay bar/club.
What do you suggest? Navy layered with light pink on the right? Finding a navy blue with a light pink stripe to flag the right? What about the female-ejaculation? Also, where does one find all of the colors these days anyway, or does one just go to the fabric store?
[…] Here’s a great synopsis of the very vast hanky code from the awesome blog Flagging Opinicus Rampant. I also highly recommend a read of that blog’s about page for a more feminist read on the hanky code, and I am highlighting this quote from their about page for the good basic reminders of what flagging does and does not do: Basic Rules of Flagging Flagging is not consent. Flagging means being cool with being propositioned, being rejected, and having the capacity to reject. Flagging is pan gender (you can’t assume someone’s junk from a flag). There are no anti-flags. Flagging is slut pride. […]
[…] who might share your values and tastes before any of you even opened your mouths—it was like a hanky code of taste. Of course, this shorthand disappears the older we get and, of course, it’s a code […]
[…] Nail polish. I feel naked without it. So you can imagine my JOY when I read this post about femme flagging using the stuff, on the Queer Fat Femme blog. The whole “flagging” thing is meant to be a sexual code that lets your prospective partners know what you are into, and was traditionally practiced with strategically coloured hankies in your back pocket (e.g. fuchsia worn on the left means you’re more of a spanker than a spankee). There’s a pretty elaborate guide to the whole hanky code available here. […]
[…] but I’ve been poking around a few femme blogs of late and I keep coming across this idea of flagging with nail […]
What about a hanky code for someone looking for a long term monogamous relationship possibly ending in marriage or someone who likes to take it slow before jumping in the sac
That might be floral patern “pitching the woo”
Flower pattern might work (romance fetish)?
I think that would be flower pattern, for courtship. Then if there is a flower of specific colors, that adds dual meaning. But if you are marriage and/or courtship minded, begin with flowers pattern and clarify with dialogue.
What does unicorn/unicorn fancier mean? What is meant by unicorn? Like… is it a joke, or is unicorn slang for something?
@ George, That’s what everyone without a hanky is doing!
I’ve heard that baby blankets can be used to flag for Ageplay or ABDL. Why wasn’t that included?
What about virgin? And shaved/waxed bush vs full bush?
Nothing for pain… I coulda sworn there was a sadist/pain slut or pain pig hankie.
I guess there’s the black, but I was thinking there was one that was either for “beating” or for “extreme” pain…
Was thinking a skull bandanna would be appropriate for necrophilia until I realized the unlikelyhood of seeing a corpse walking around back pocket on show, maybe Zombiephilia, does that exist yet!?
first off, thanks for all your work & thoughts here, it’s been super helpful as a personal reference (and for the hanky project that I am working on: http://www.secretdoorprojects.org/updates/2013/02/07/practical-tools-for-shifting-reality-snapshots-statement/) …. and it’s great to have a hanky code on the internet that is non-body-part specific that I can refer people to who ask about flagging!
second — any thoughts or knowledge on what it means when a bandana is edged with lace? at the thrift store (here in Providence, RI, u.s.a.), I recently came across what was obviously some individual’s collection of hankies that had ended up there in a group: many of them the classic “paisley” bandanas with matching-color-lace hand-stitched around the edge. what would one use that to signify // what will I be signifying if I flag with them??? all the best to you!
Why did you decide to go with the top/bottom def’in for switch over the looking/not looking? Just curious, because i’m always pushing the opposite ;)
Dear y’all,
So I got a new one for you we are starting up here in Portland. Tiny polka dots is flagging femme for femme. Add it to the list! We want it to get around. Thanks!
Hey, that’s a new orange definition! I still like it… but the one i was familiar with was anything/nothing right now and I really liked being able to flag that. Plus, what other colours lets you flag switch? booooooooooooo