- NEBULY
- (adj.) The heraldic term for a sharply undulating line of division on a shield, banner or arms or a flag,
or the edge of an ordinary such as a fess or chevron, and intended to represent clouds – but see note below
(also ‘banner of arms’, ‘fess’, ‘chevron 1)’ and
‘ordinary’).
Flag of Buochs, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Tartar, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Groesbeek, The Netherlands (fotw)
Please note that this term is not to be confused with unde,
undy or wavy – see ‘wavy’
- NEEDLEWORK
- See ‘embroider’
- NEF
- A type of single-masted, medieval trading vessel (usually shown with fore
and aft castles as equipped for war) – but see ‘ancient ship’.
![[nef]](../images/v/vxt-d218.gif)
Banner of Arms of New Brunswick, Canada (fotw);
Flag and Arms of Elblag County, Poland (fotw);
Flag and Arms of Lisbon, Portugal (fotw)
Please note that the terms “nef” and “cog” both refer to a single-masted sailing vessel and are
generally considered interchangeable, however, properly speaking the earlier cog was steered by a long
oar, whereas the later nef had a stern mounted rudder.
- NEO-NAZI FLAGS
- See ‘swastika’ and ‘rune(s)’.
Flag of National Socialist Action, Chile (Tomislav Todorovic); Flag of
National Democratic Party (1999-2009), Lithuania (fotw); Flag of
National Union, Russia (fotw)
- NETTLE LEAF
- In Continental (often but not exclusively German) heraldry, a term for the (usually) white
charge that is reputed to be a development of the zig-zag border (see also ‘serrated 1)’).
Flag and Arms of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (fotw); Flag of
Kiel, Germany (fotw); Arms and Flag of
Pinneberg, Germany (fotw)
- NIMBED
- The heraldic term for being depicted wearing a halo – see ‘nimbus’
Flag and Arms of Škabrnje, Croatia (fotw); Flag of
Saint-Cierges, Switzerland (fotw)
- NIMBUS
- The heraldic term for a halo, the aura (or circle of light) that surrounds
the head in the representation of a saint or of a holy animal – see
‘nimbed’ (also
‘agnus dei’
and ‘Eye of God’).
Flag of Titterten, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of the
Veneto Region, Italy; Flag and Arms of
Kastav, Croatia (fotw); Flag of Glarus, Switzerland (fotw)
- NOBOBI
- See ‘daimyo flags’
- NOIR
- The French for black and sometimes (mistakenly) used instead of the correct heraldic term sable – see ‘sable’.
- NORDIC CROSS
- See ‘Scandinavian cross’.
National Flag of Iceland (fotw)
- NORTH-EAST DIAGONAL
- A diagonal stripe running from the upper fly edge to the lower hoist corner, whose corners may or
may not touch the corners of the flag but whose width is contained within the length of the flag at its
top edge and the width of the flag at its fly (see also
‘Appendix IX’,
‘ascending diagonal’,
‘descending diagonal’,
‘east-south diagonal’,
‘east-west diagonal’,
‘north-south diagonal’,
‘south-east diagonal’,
‘south-north diagonal’,
‘west-east diagonal’),
‘west-north diagonal’,
and ‘west-south diagonal’).
Flag of Nýrov, Czech Republic (fotw)
Please note that this term, whilst an extension of those existing and
established, has been introduced by the editors.
- NORTH-SOUTH DIAGONAL
- A diagonal stripe that runs from the upper hoist to the lower fly, and whose
corners generally (but not invariably) touch the corners of the flag but whose width is entirely contained within
the length of the flag – an enhanced bend - see ‘bend’ (also
‘ascending diagonal’,
‘descending diagonal’,
‘east-south diagonal’,
‘east-west diagonal’,
‘north-east diagonal’,
‘south-east diagonal’,
‘south-north diagonal’,
‘west-east diagonal’),
‘west-north diagonal’),
and ‘west-south diagonal’).
![[North-South diagonal - Trinidad and Tobago]](../images/v/vxt-d227.gif)
![[North-South diagonal - Aspariegos, Spain]](../images/v/vxt-d2356.gif)
![[North-South diagonal - Arco-Íris, Brazil]](../images/v/vxt-d2034.gif)
![[North-South diagonal - Alaskan State Troopers]](../images/v/vxt-d2458.gif)
National Flag of Trinidad and Tobago (fotw);
Flag of Aspariegos, Spain (fotw); Flag of Arco-Íris, Brazil (Ivan Sache);
Flag of the Alaskan State Troopers, US (Randy Young)
- NUMBER FLAG
- See 'insurance flag'.
- NUMERAL (or NUMERIC SIGNAL) FLAG
- Any one of a set of straight-sided flags of simple design representing the
numerals zero to nine, and used in some naval flag signal codes – a numeric signal flag (see also
'numeral pennant' and
‘signal flag’).
![[NATO numeral flag]](../images/v/vxt-d384a.gif)
![[NATO numeral flag]](../images/v/vxt-d384b.gif)
![[NATO numeral flag]](../images/v/vxt-d384c.gif)
![[NATO numeral flag]](../images/v/vxt-d384d.gif)
Numeral Flags 0 – 3 in the RN/USN/NATO Code of Naval Signals (fotw)
- NUMERAL PENNANT
- Any one of a set of tapered square-ended pennants (or trapezoids) of simple design representing
the numerals zero to nine, and used in the International Code of Signal flags
as well as some naval flag signal codes (see also
‘code pennant’,
‘International Code of Signal Flags’,
'numeral flag',
‘signal flag’,
‘substitute’ and
‘trapezoid 2)’).
![[numeral pennants]](../images/v/vxt-d937.gif)
Numeral Pennants 0 to 3 in the International Code of Signals (CS)
