flying colors vs success

flying colors and success both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
flying colors	Yes	No	No	No
success	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, success is a hypernym of flying colors; that is, success is a word with a broader meaning than flying colors:

flying colors (noun)	success (noun)
complete success	an attainment that is successful
	an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
	a person with a record of successes
	a state of prosperity or fame