checkered flag

noun

plural checkered flags

auto racing

: a flag marked by alternating black and white squares that is waved at the finish line to signal the end of a race

Driving with a clear head and a deft right foot rather than an anxious heart, he slid into the lead three laps from the checkered flag …

—Sam Moses

In one race weekend Andretti had run the gamut—he had been fast qualifier, he had driven at a steady pace in the first 11 hours and he had won a final, desperate sprint to the checkered flag.

—Kim Chapin

He took the checkered flag [=crossed the finish line in first place] at California Speedway on Sept. 4 to become the youngest driver in the 56-year history of the Cup series to win a race …

—Lars Anderson

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above