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| My FAVORITE little pirate! |
And for ye landlubbers, here's a little help from The Pirate Dictionary:
To start with, of course, say "ye" for you, "me" for my or mine, and don't skimp on the "ahoy" and "arrrrr!"
Addled - Mad, insane, or just stupid. An "addlepate" is a fool.
Aft - Short for "after." Toward the rear of the ship.
Ahoy - Hello!
Avast! - Hey! Could also be used as "Stop that!" or "Who goes there?"
Begad! - By God!
Belay - Stop that. "Belay that talk!" would mean "Shut up!"
Bilge! - Nonsense, or foolish talk. The bilges of a ship are the lowest parts, inside the hull along the keel. They fill with stinking bilgewater—or just "bilge."
Bilge-sucking - A very uncomplimentary adjective.
Black Spot - To "place the Black Spot" on another pirate is to sentence him to death, to warn him he is marked for death, or sometimes just to accuse him of a serious crime before other pirates.
Blaggard - Blackguard. An insult.
Blimey! - An exclamation of surprise.
Booty - Loot.
Bosun - Boatswain, a petty officer.
Bucko - Familiar term. "Me bucko" = "my friend."
Cap'n - Short for "captain."
Cat o'nine tails - A whip with many lashes, used for flogging. "A taste of the cat" might refer to a full flogging, or just a single blow to "smarten up" a recalcitrant hand.
Chantey - A sailor's work song. Also spelled "shantey" or "shanty."
Corsair - A more romantic term for pirate. But still a pirate.
Davy Jones' locker - The bottom of the sea.
Deadlights - Eyes. "Use yer deadlights, matey!"
Dead men tell no tales - Standard pirate excuse for leaving no survivors.
Dog - A mild insult, perhaps even a friendly one.
Doubloon - A Spanish gold coin. At different times, it was worth either 4 or 16 silver pesos, or "pieces of eight."
Fair winds! - Goodbye, good luck!
Feed the fish - What you do when you are thrown into the sea, dead or alive.
Gangway! - "Get out of my way!"
Godspeed! - Goodbye, good luck!
Grub - Food.
Fore, or forrard - Toward the front end of the ship.
Flogging - Punishment by caning, or by whipping with the cat.
Hands - The crew of a ship; sailors.
Handsomely - Quickly. "Handsomely now, men!" = "Hurry up!"
Jack Ketch - The hangman. To dance with Jack Ketch is to hang.
Jollyboat - A small but happy craft, perhaps even one which is a little dinghy.
Jolly Roger - The pirates' skull-and-crossbones flag. It was an invitation to surrender, with the implication that those who surrendered would be treated well. A red flag indicated "no quarter."
Keelhaul - Punishment by dragging under the ship, from one side to the other. The victim of a keelhauling would be half-drowned, or worse, and lacerated by the barnacles that grew beneath the ship.
Kiss the gunner's daughter - A punishment: to be bent over one of the ship's guns and flogged.
Lad, lass, lassie - A way to address someone younger than you.
Landlubber or just lubber - A non-sailor.
Lights - Lungs. A pirate might threaten to "have someone's lights and liver."
Line - A rope in use as part of the ship's rigging, or as a towing line. When a rope is just coiled up on deck, not yet being used for anything, it's all right to call it a rope.
Lookout - Someone posted to keep watch on the horizon for other ships or signs of land.
Maroon - A common punishment for violation of a pirate ship's articles, or offending her crew. The victim was left on a deserted coast (or, island) with few supplies. That way, no one could say that the unlucky pirate had actually been killed by his former brethren.
Me - A piratical way to say "my."
Me hearties - Typical way for a pirate leader to address his crew.
Matey - A piratical way to address someone in a cheerful, if not necessarily friendly, fashion.
No quarter! - Surrender will not be accepted.
Piece of eight - A Spanish silver coin worth one peso or 8 reales. It was sometimes literally cut into eight pieces, each worth one real.
Pillage - To raid, rob, and sack a target ashore.
Pirate - A seagoing robber and murderer. Contrast with privateer.
Poop deck - The highest deck at the aft end of a large ship. Smaller ships don't have a poop; the highest part aft is the quarterdeck.
Poxy, poxed - Diseased. Used as an insult.
Rope's end - Another term for flogging. "Ye'll meet the rope's end for that, me bucko!"
Rum (noun) - Traditional pirate drink.
Rum (adjective) - Strange or odd. A "rum fellow" is a peculiar person, the sort who won't say "Arrrr!" on Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Sail ho! - "I see a ship!" The sail, of course, is the first part of a ship visible over the horizon.
Salt, old salt - An experienced seaman.
Scurvy - (1) A deficiency disease caused by lack of vitamin C, often afflicting sailors; (2) A derogatory adjective for an epithet, as in "Ye scurvy dogs!"
Sea dog - An experienced seaman.
Shanty - Another spelling for "chantey" - a sea song.
Shark bait - (1) Your foes, who are about to feed the fish; (2) A worthless or lazy sailor; a lubber who is no use aboard ship.
Shiver me timbers! - An expression of surprise or strong emotion.
Sink me! - An expression of surprise.
Smartly - Quickly. "Smartly there, men!" = "Hurry up!"
Splice the mainbrace - To have a drink. Or, perhaps, several drinks.
Spyglass - A telescope.
Starboard - The right side of the ship when you are facing toward her prow.
Sutler - A merchant in port, selling what a ship needed for supplies and repairs.
Swab (noun) - A disrespectful term for a seaman. "Man that gun, ye cowardly swabs!"
Swab (verb) - To clean something. "Swabbing the decks" would be a mild penalty for a disobedient pirate.
Swag - Loot.
Wench - An individual of the female persuasion. "Saucy" is a good adjective to add to this, and if ye can get away with "Me proud beauty,” more power to ye!
Yo-ho-ho - A very piratical thing to say, whether it actually means anything or not.
Don't be rum fellows! Fair Winds me buckos & God Speed!
Okay, it's your turn... Go TALK LIKE A PIRATE!
Ahoy - Hello!
Avast! - Hey! Could also be used as "Stop that!" or "Who goes there?"
Begad! - By God!
Belay - Stop that. "Belay that talk!" would mean "Shut up!"
Bilge! - Nonsense, or foolish talk. The bilges of a ship are the lowest parts, inside the hull along the keel. They fill with stinking bilgewater—or just "bilge."
Bilge-sucking - A very uncomplimentary adjective.
Black Spot - To "place the Black Spot" on another pirate is to sentence him to death, to warn him he is marked for death, or sometimes just to accuse him of a serious crime before other pirates.
Blaggard - Blackguard. An insult.
Blimey! - An exclamation of surprise.
Booty - Loot.
Bosun - Boatswain, a petty officer.
Bucko - Familiar term. "Me bucko" = "my friend."
Cap'n - Short for "captain."
Cat o'nine tails - A whip with many lashes, used for flogging. "A taste of the cat" might refer to a full flogging, or just a single blow to "smarten up" a recalcitrant hand.
Chantey - A sailor's work song. Also spelled "shantey" or "shanty."
Corsair - A more romantic term for pirate. But still a pirate.
Davy Jones' locker - The bottom of the sea.
Deadlights - Eyes. "Use yer deadlights, matey!"
Dead men tell no tales - Standard pirate excuse for leaving no survivors.
Dog - A mild insult, perhaps even a friendly one.
Doubloon - A Spanish gold coin. At different times, it was worth either 4 or 16 silver pesos, or "pieces of eight."
Fair winds! - Goodbye, good luck!
Feed the fish - What you do when you are thrown into the sea, dead or alive.
Gangway! - "Get out of my way!"
Godspeed! - Goodbye, good luck!
Grub - Food.
Fore, or forrard - Toward the front end of the ship.
Flogging - Punishment by caning, or by whipping with the cat.
Hands - The crew of a ship; sailors.
Handsomely - Quickly. "Handsomely now, men!" = "Hurry up!"
Jack Ketch - The hangman. To dance with Jack Ketch is to hang.
Jollyboat - A small but happy craft, perhaps even one which is a little dinghy.
Jolly Roger - The pirates' skull-and-crossbones flag. It was an invitation to surrender, with the implication that those who surrendered would be treated well. A red flag indicated "no quarter."
Keelhaul - Punishment by dragging under the ship, from one side to the other. The victim of a keelhauling would be half-drowned, or worse, and lacerated by the barnacles that grew beneath the ship.
Kiss the gunner's daughter - A punishment: to be bent over one of the ship's guns and flogged.
Lad, lass, lassie - A way to address someone younger than you.
Landlubber or just lubber - A non-sailor.
Lights - Lungs. A pirate might threaten to "have someone's lights and liver."
Line - A rope in use as part of the ship's rigging, or as a towing line. When a rope is just coiled up on deck, not yet being used for anything, it's all right to call it a rope.
Lookout - Someone posted to keep watch on the horizon for other ships or signs of land.
Maroon - A common punishment for violation of a pirate ship's articles, or offending her crew. The victim was left on a deserted coast (or, island) with few supplies. That way, no one could say that the unlucky pirate had actually been killed by his former brethren.
Me - A piratical way to say "my."
Me hearties - Typical way for a pirate leader to address his crew.
Matey - A piratical way to address someone in a cheerful, if not necessarily friendly, fashion.
No quarter! - Surrender will not be accepted.
Piece of eight - A Spanish silver coin worth one peso or 8 reales. It was sometimes literally cut into eight pieces, each worth one real.
Pillage - To raid, rob, and sack a target ashore.
Pirate - A seagoing robber and murderer. Contrast with privateer.
Poop deck - The highest deck at the aft end of a large ship. Smaller ships don't have a poop; the highest part aft is the quarterdeck.
Poxy, poxed - Diseased. Used as an insult.
Rope's end - Another term for flogging. "Ye'll meet the rope's end for that, me bucko!"
Rum (noun) - Traditional pirate drink.
Rum (adjective) - Strange or odd. A "rum fellow" is a peculiar person, the sort who won't say "Arrrr!" on Talk Like A Pirate Day.
Sail ho! - "I see a ship!" The sail, of course, is the first part of a ship visible over the horizon.
Salt, old salt - An experienced seaman.
Scurvy - (1) A deficiency disease caused by lack of vitamin C, often afflicting sailors; (2) A derogatory adjective for an epithet, as in "Ye scurvy dogs!"
Sea dog - An experienced seaman.
Shanty - Another spelling for "chantey" - a sea song.
Shark bait - (1) Your foes, who are about to feed the fish; (2) A worthless or lazy sailor; a lubber who is no use aboard ship.
Shiver me timbers! - An expression of surprise or strong emotion.
Sink me! - An expression of surprise.
Smartly - Quickly. "Smartly there, men!" = "Hurry up!"
Splice the mainbrace - To have a drink. Or, perhaps, several drinks.
Spyglass - A telescope.
Starboard - The right side of the ship when you are facing toward her prow.
Sutler - A merchant in port, selling what a ship needed for supplies and repairs.
Swab (noun) - A disrespectful term for a seaman. "Man that gun, ye cowardly swabs!"
Swab (verb) - To clean something. "Swabbing the decks" would be a mild penalty for a disobedient pirate.
Swag - Loot.
Wench - An individual of the female persuasion. "Saucy" is a good adjective to add to this, and if ye can get away with "Me proud beauty,” more power to ye!
Yo-ho-ho - A very piratical thing to say, whether it actually means anything or not.
Don't be rum fellows! Fair Winds me buckos & God Speed!
Okay, it's your turn... Go TALK LIKE A PIRATE!
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