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Passes around our flags (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

colours

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'flags' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both related to change as well as being verbs in their -s form.
Perhaps there's a link between them I don't understand?

'passes around our' is the wordplay.
'passes' becomes 'cols' (a col is a mountain pass).
'around' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'cols' going around 'our' is 'COLOURS'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for colours that I've seen before include "Hues, tints" , "flag" , "Shades" , "Red and blue" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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