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

Last modified: 2025-11-01 by martin karner
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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.

[honour point]
Flag of the National Socialist Front, Sweden


HOOVED (or HOOFED)
Terms used in Continental European heraldry to describe the hoofs of beasts instead of its English heraldic equivalent unguled.

[Mettembert] [Oronsko] [Rebevelier]
Flag of the Mettembert, Switzerland; Flag of Orońsko rural district, Poland; Flag of Rebévelier, Switzerland


HORIZONTAL BICOLOUR
See bicolour 1) and bicolour 2) (also over).

Niederösterreich, Austria Niederösterreich, Austria
Civil Flag of Niederösterreich, Austria; Naval Jack of Ukraine


HORIZONTAL BICOLOUR WITH A VERTICAL STRIPE AT THE HOIST
A flag of three colours, having one vertical stripe at the hoist and two horizontal in the fly – see tricolour 1) and bicolour 2) (also stripe).

Benin Guine Bissau
National Flag of Benin, Austria; National Flag of Guinea Bissau


HORIZONTAL LATIN CROSS
See off-centred cross2) and Scandinavian cross (also Latin cross).

horizontal Latin cross horizontal Latin cross
Flag of Domingos Martins, Brazil; Flag of the Aland Islands


HORIZONTAL MERIDIAN (or MEDIAN)
See meridian.

horizontal meridian


HORIZONTAL MULTI-STRIPE
See multi-stripe.

Aragon, Spain multistripe
Flag of Aragon, Spain; Flag of Minorca, Spain


HORIZONTAL STRIPES IN HERALDRY
See bar, barrulet and fess.

Argentina Simferopol Chicago
National Flag of Argentina; Arms of Simferopol, Ukraine; Flag of Chicago, US


HORIZONTAL TRIANGLE
See triangle 1)

triband Argentina
National Flag of Djibouti; Flag of Cercs, Spain


HORIZONTAL TRIBAND
See triband 1) and triband 2).

triband Argentina
National and Civil Flags of Nicaragua


HORIZONTAL TRICOLOUR
See tricolour 1) and tricolour 2).

horizontal tricolour horizontal tricolour
National Flag of Croatia; National Flag of the Netherlands


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

horn horn horn
Flag of Beeskow County, Oder-Spree, Germany; Flag of Troubky, Czechia; Post Flag, Denmark


HORNED
In heraldry see attired.

[Mettembert]
Flag of Mettembert, Switzerland


HORN OF PLENTY
See cornucopia.

Bakersfield seal Bakersfield
Flag Arms and Jack, Peru


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 – an Italian shield (see also renaissance shield).

horse-head 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.

horseshoe horseshoe horseshoe
Flag of Hasbergen, Germany; Flag of Kyslivka, Ukraine; Flag of Lemberg, Germany


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.

[horsetail standards]
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).

[houseflag example] [houseflag example] [houseflag example]
Black Diamond Co, Canada; Green and Co., US; Alaska Steamship Co., US


HOUSE MARK (or HOUSE BRAND)
In Continental usage those terms, and translations 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 – but see merchant mark (see also armigerous, coat of arms 2) and mark 2))

[house mark example]
Flag of Hiddensee Island, Germany


HOUSEWIMPEL
See house flag 1).

[house pennant example]
Housewimpel/House Pennant of The Blue Star Line, UK

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.

[hunting horn example] [hunting horn example]
Arms and Flag of Bilje, Croatia


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

[hurt example] [hurt example] [hurt example]
Flag of Alfena, Portugal; Flag of Lenzburg, Switzerland; Flag of Bodenfelde, Germany

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 flag example]
Husband Pennant/Provincial Wimpel of Kainuu, Finland


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)).

[Hussar cut example] [Hussar cut example] [Hussar cut example]
2nd Hussar Regiment, Prussia c1740; Cavalry Guidons, Hamburg 1709


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