freak flag

The phrase Freak Flag reportedly originated from song lyrics for "If 6 Was 9" (1967) by Jimi Hendrix and was popularized by its use in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Youngs counter culture anthem "Almost Cut My Hair".

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freak flag (plural freak flags)

1. (idiomatic) Unconventional or unrestrained behavior; extreme, nonconformist views; the side of one's personality which harbors a tendency toward such behavior or such views.
   • 1988 Feb. 21, Sarah Peasley, "Swinging Singing," Washington Post:

     "We were just blatantly flaunting our freak flag," she says. "We were trying to be badder than anyone else—and we were getting away with it!"

   • 2000 May 21, James Poniewozik, "Books: Sex, Drugs and Subatomic Particles," New York Times:

     Tom Robbins, whose cosmic-absurdist, stoner-philosophical novels have moved undergraduates to scrawl So true!!! in the margins for decades, has again deputized himself to carry the freak flag of irreverence and fleshly indulgence.

   • 2007 Jun. 10, Jason Sobel, "On the Hot Seat: Rory Sabbatini," ESPN.com (retrieved 26 Aug. 2008):

     Q: You've got that "Don't mess with Texas" attitude down, don't you?

     A: If you ever watched "The Family Stone," it says, "Everyone has a freak flag, so fly your freak flag proudly." So that's kind of the way I am.

• fly the freak flag