19th September is also known as
International Talk Like A Pirate Day.


For more information and help with phrases try www.talklikeapirate.com, http://www.wikihow.com/Talk-Like-a-Pirate and www.yarr.org.uk/talk

Below are some phrases that might help. These were originally compiled from the above websites.


  • Able Bodied Sailor (ABS) - normal Sailor
  • Ahoy - Hello or Hey!
  • And ye may lay to that! - You betcha!
  • Arrr! - means agreement from "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," to "That was a clever remark you or I just made."
  • Avast - derived from "hold fast". Stop and give attention. This word, like many pirate words, has multiple meanings, so it can also can be used in place of, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"
  • Aye - Yes
  • Aye aye! - "I understand what you said and I will carry out your order!"
  • Be - "Am, is, are." As in "I (or Me) be goin' t' get more grog, he be goin' t' get more grog, and they be goin' t' get more grog." This will also avoid confusion between "are" and "arrr" or "arrgh."
  • Beauty – The best possible pirate address for a woman. Always preceded by "me," as in, "C'mere, me beauty," or even, "me buxom beauty," to one particularly well endowed. You'll be surprised how effective this is.
  • Belay - To immediately cease or stop. Usually used in a disgusted context such as "Belay that landlubber talk!!"
  • Bilge rat – The bilge is the lowest level of the ship. It's loaded with ballast and slimy, reeking water. A bilge rat, then, is a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship. Pirates, just like their modern-day counterparts (regular guys), love to joke and jibe with their buddies. By all means, pirates will call their buddies "bilge rats."
  • Black spot - to be 'placin' the black spot' be markin' someone for death.
  • Bosun - in charge of maintenance. Boatswain (bosun or bos'un) - ship's officer in charge of maintenance of the vessel, rigging and sails, and sometimes also third or fourth mate right under the Quartermaster.
  • Booty - Anything of value a pirate can plunder.
  • Buccaneer - a pirate who be answerin' to no man or blasted government.
  • Bummer - deserter, usually from the army.
  • Bung hole – It's the hole in a wooden barrel, usually sealed with a cork. To get what's in the barrel out, usually, the cork is pried out, opening the bung hole. Saying, "Well, me hearties, let's see what crawled out of the bung hole" will often be accompanied by the sound of 21st century citizens running for their lives. Yay! Dinner for one, coming up!
  • By the Powers! - an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!
  • Cabin Boy - a servant. A cabin boy or girl was usually a child that worked on board the pirate ship as a servant.
  • Cap'n - leader. Captains command because of skill, daring, and the ability to win prizes and booty. They lead with a voice of ultimate authority. In some cases pirate ships elected their Captains through a vote. If the Captain fell out of favour the crew were just as quick to maroon them, throw them overboard, or perhaps if they were lucky the crew would just let them off at the nearest port. The Captain didn't have the last say, except in the midst of battle.
  • Cat o' nine tails - whip for floggin' mutineers
  • Colours - See also, "Hoist the Colours!" The Pirate flag, with many variations. Designed to strike terror into your opponent, many times they would not even fight back, immediately surrendering.
  • Cooper - A cooper can preserve food in sturdy barrels.
  • Corsair - a pirate who be makin' his berth in the Med-...Medi-...that sea 'tween Spain and Africa, aye!
  • Davy Jones' Locker - the bottom o' the sea, where the souls of dead men lie
  • Doubloons - pieces of gold...
  • Fiddlers Green - the private heaven where pirates be goin' when they die.
  • Furner - a ship which be yer own, not one ye steal an' plunder.
  • Gentlemen o' fortune - a slightly more positive term fer pirates!
  • Go on the account - to embark on a piratical cruise
  • Grog - A pirate's favourite drink.
  • Hoist the Colours! - To raise the Pirate flag before attacking. Also a rallying cry for Pirates before they go into battle.
  • Hornpipe – Both a single-reeded musical instrument sailors often had aboard ship, and a spirited dance that sailors do. The common term for being filled with lust is "horny," and hornpipe then has some comical possibilities. "Is that a hornpipe in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me? Or both?"
  • Hearties or Matey - Shipmates or friends.
  • Jack - a flag or a sailor
  • Jolly Roger - the skull and crossbones, the pirate flag!
  • Kedger - fisherman.
  • Keelhaul - a truly vicious punishment where a scurvy dog be tied to a rope and dragged along the barnacle-encrusted bottom of a ship. They not be survivin' this.
  • Lagger - a sailor.
  • Landlubber - "Land-lover," someone not used to life on-board a ship.
  • Lass - A woman.
  • Leech - physician
  • Lily-livered - faint o' heart
  • Loaded to the Gunwales (pron. gunnels) - drunk
  • Lubber – (or land lubber) Where a lubber is a poor seaman, a land lubber is an exceptionally ignorant seaman. [1] In a room where everyone is talking like pirates, lubber is always an insult.
  • Motherload - refers to when the largest amount of booty is successfully located.
  • Master - teacher to an apprentice.
  • Mate - apprentice to the Ship's Master, Boatswain, Carpenter, Gunner, etc.
  • Matey - A shipmate or a friend.
  • Me hearty - a friend or shipmate.
  • Me - My.
  • Quartermaster - the person that actually runs things. The Quartermaster is almost the Captain's equal, during times of battle the Captain has ultimate authority, but at all other times he and the crew were under the command of the Quartermaster. Their duty was to represent the crews interests and enforce discipline at sea.
  • Peregrinator - itinerant wanderer
  • Pieces o' eight - pieces o' silver which can be cut into eights to be givin' small change.
  • Powder Monkey - a child who ran the gunpowder to the cannons during battle.
  • Purser - accountant. The purser is the ship's officer in charge of provisions and accounts.
  • Privateer - a pirate officially sanctioned by a national power
  • Runner - smuggler
  • Savvy - Ok or understand. As in, "Savvy?" meaning "Do you understand"
  • Saucy - Sexy. "Ye be a Saucy Wench!"
  • Scallywag - A bad person. A scoundrel.
  • Scrumpet- A name for a women, not the most polite term but not rude either.
  • Scurvy - Well, of course, it's an awful affliction that used to bedevil buccaneers in days gone by; that's one reason there was lime juice added to the rum in the water, making grog. So calling someone a "scurvy bilge rat" is even worse than calling him a "bilge rat."
  • Scurvy dog! - a fine insult!
  • Shiver me timbers! - an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud.
  • Show a Leg! - Phrase to wake up a sailor. "Show a leg!, it be dawn, you scurvy lubber!".
  • Smartly – Do something quickly. "Smartly, me lass," you might say when sending the bar maid off for another round. She will be so impressed she might well spit in your beer.
  • Son of a Biscuit Eater - a derogatory term indicating a bastard son of a sailor
  • Sprogs - raw, untrained recruits
  • Squadron - a group of ten or less warships
  • Squiffy - a buffoon
  • Striker - native of the West Indies. Typically from Darien or the Mosquito Coast. They were expert hunters who trapped sea turtles and manatees; fished for sharks and other large fish; and also hunted wild game when the the crew came ashore. Their knowledge of local plants aided in collecting edible fruits and vegetables as well as medicinal plants and herbs.
  • Swab - a derogatory term for the lowest job on the ship. A swabbie or swab was a crew member who mopped the decks using a swab.
  • Swaggy - a scurvy cur's ship what ye be intendin' to loot!
  • Swashbucklin' - fightin' and carousin' on the high seas!
  • Sweet trade - the career of piracy
  • Thar - The opposite of "here."
  • Wakeman - a name for someone that stays up all night to keep watch over the ship.
  • Walk the plank - this one be bloody obvious.
  • Wench - Woman, girl, or waitress. Whatever.
  • Wi' a wannion - wi' a curse, or wi' a vengeance. Boldly, loudly!
  • Yardarm - Not just convenient framework to hang the sails, but often times used as a holding post for the disobedient ol' salts, as in, "Tie that dawg to the yardarm".
  • Yo-ho-ho - Pirate laughter