sail under false colors

At home and abroad, Jack was always a ship sailing under false colors.

He felt that he was sailing under false colors.

Sailing under false colors was a common ruse, both for predator and prey.

We thought bandits, under the English pirate, were sailing under false colors.

This was called sailing under false colors.

Aubrey has depended on disguise before, often sailing under false colors, a legitimate tactic at the time.

Sailing under false colors like pirates?"

"David was sailing under false colors," Mr. Regan said.

Otherwise we shall be found sailing under false colors, and be inevitably cashiered at last by our own opinion, as well as that of mankind.

Sailing Under False Colors

This tactic of sailing under false colors was not uncommon at the time and was used by other British maritime fur traders such as Charles William Barkley.

She would be one thing or the other--all good or all bad--and so she could not abide those who sailed under false colors, assuming a respectability that they did not have.

To Donald Regan, Mr. Fischer "was sailing under false colors" with the White House staff, who wanted to be nice to a former colleague only to find he was using his ties to enrich himself.