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



Below are some phrases that might help.


  • Abaft - to the rear of th ship.
  • Abeam - at right angles to a ship.
  • Able Bodied Sailor (ABS) - normal Sailor.
  • About - to turn eg "go about".
  • Aft - at the back of the ship.
  • Ahoy - Hello or Hey!
  • Aloft - up in the riggings.
  • Amidships - In the centre of a ship.
  • 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!"
  • Bail - to remove water in a bucket.
  • 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!!"
  • Belay There! - Stop that!
  • Bilge – the lowest level of the ship. It's loaded with ballast and slimy, reeking water.
  • Bilge rat – a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship (lowest levels). 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.
  • Bow - the very front of the ship.
  • Bowsprit - a spar extending from the bow.
  • Buccaneer - a pirate who be answerin' to no man or blasted government.
  • Bulkhead - Wooden waks ubside a ship to stop the cargo rolling about.
  • 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.
  • Captstan - a barrel shaped device used to weigh the anchor.
  • Careen - To scrape the hul of a shop clean of barnacles and weeds.
  • Cast Off! - Let go!
  • Cat o' nine tails - whip for floggin' mutineers.
  • Caulk - To waterproof inbetween the planks of the ship.
  • 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!
  • Crow's Nest - A platform at the top of the main mast used for look out.
  • Davy Jones' Locker - the bottom o' the sea, where the souls of dead men lie.
  • Doubloons - pieces of gold...
  • Fathom - Six feet.
  • Fiddlers Green - the private heaven where pirates be goin' when they die.
  • Fore - At the front of the ship.
  • Founder - sink.
  • Furner - a ship which be yer own, not one ye steal an' plunder.
  • Gangway! - Get out of the way.
  • 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.
  • Halyards - ropes used to hoist sails.
  • Heads - the ships toilets in the bow.
  • Heave-away - Pull up the anchor.
  • 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.
  • Keel - a wooden bar extending beneath the ship for stability.
  • 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.
  • Knot - 1 nautical mile per hour (1.7 miles (on land) per hour)
  • Lagger - a sailor.
  • Landlubber - "Land-lover," someone not used to life on-board a ship.
  • Lanyards - ropes used to tie things
  • Larboard - port, the left hand side of a ship looking forward.
  • Lass - A woman.
  • Leech - physician.
  • Leeward - away from the direction the wind is blowing.
  • Lily-livered - faint o' heart.
  • Loaded to the Gunwales (pron. gunnels) - drunk.
  • Look lively - shake a leg.
  • 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.
  • Marlinspike - a metal spike used to separate strands of rope for splicing
  • 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.
  • Quaters- living areas
  • Peregrinator - itinerant wanderer.
  • Pieces o' eight - pieces o' silver which can be cut into eights to be givin' small change.
  • Port - larboard, the left hand side of a ship looking forward.
  • 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.
  • Press Gang - to kidnap a man for service at sea.
  • Rigging - the rope work above deck.
  • Rudder - used to steer the ship
  • 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.
  • Scuppers - Openings in the side of the ship that allows water to drain away.
  • Scuttle - to sink a ship by taking out her 'plug'.
  • 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!
  • Sea Anchor - a drag towed behind a ship to slow her down.
  • Sea Chest - a sailor's wooden box containing their belongings.
  • Shake a leg - look lively, pay attention.
  • 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!".
  • Sing Out - to call out
  • 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.
  • Sound - distance to the sea bottom useing a lead weight on a rope.
  • Spill - lose wind from a sail.
  • Splice - join two ropes by intertwining strands.
  • Sprogs - raw, untrained recruits.
  • Squadron - a group of ten or less warships.
  • Squiffy - a buffoon.
  • Stand By - get ready.
  • Starboard - the right hand side of a ship looking forward.
  • Stay - a rope supporting a mast.
  • Stern - the back rear of the ship
  • 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.
  • Swab the deck - mop the deck
  • 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.
  • Take in - lower the sails.
  • Turn to - start working right now.
  • 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.
  • Weigh anchor - raise the anchor
  • Wench - Woman, girl, or waitress. Whatever.
  • Where Away - which way
  • 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.

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
This list were originally compiled from the above websites and the book Pirateology.