Talk like a Pirate!

                                              Talk like a PIRATE!

                   Piratey Expressions

Belay: Used in the imperative as an order to stop.Belay there!

Blimey: Used to express frustration.

Bucko: A friend.

Gangway: Used to clear a passage through a crowded area.

He's gone to Davy Jones's locker: He is dead. (Davy Jones's locker is also the bottom of the sea)
Me hearties: My Comrade; boon companion; good fellow; a term of familiar address and fellowship among sailors. Captains often refer to their entire crew this way.

Shiver me timbers: An expression of surprise.

Sink me! An expression of surprise.

Smartly: Quickly.

Yo-ho-ho Completely meaningless, but fun to say.

Important Piratey Words


Aye: Yes. Aye, aye captain!

Me: My. Me ship is the biggest brig in the port!

Ye: You Ye be walking the plank!

Aft: Short for "after." Toward the rear of the ship.

Bilge: That part of a ship's hull or bottom which is broadest and most nearly flat, and on which she would rest if aground. Also - Stupid talk or writing; nonsense.

Bilge Pump: A pump to draw the bilge water from the gold of a ship.

Fore: Short for "forward". Toward the front end of the ship.

Mast: A tall vertical spar, sometimes sectioned, that rises from the keel or deck of a sailing vessel to support the sails and the standing and running rigging.

Mizzenmast: The hindmost mast of a three-masted vessel.

Poop deck: The deck forming the roof of a poop or poop cabin, built on the upper deck and extending from the mizzenmast aft.

Port: A seaport or the left side of the ship when you are facing toward her prow. (Thanks Ian)

Prow: The "nose" of the ship.

Rigging: The arrangement of masts, spars, and sails on a sailing vessel.

Spars: A wooden or metal pole used to support sails and rigging.

Starboard: The right side of the ship when you are facing toward her prow.

People Words

Buccaneer: A robber upon the sea; a pirate;a term applied especially to the piratical adventurers who made depredations on the Spaniards in America in the 17th and 18th centuries (Caribbean Pirates).

Corsair: A pirate; one who cruises about without authorization from any government, to seize booty on sea or land (Mediterranean Pirates).

Deadlights: Yer eyes, lad!

Landlubber: or lubber A person who lives and works on land or an inexperienced sailor; a sailor on the first voyage.

Lass: A girl or young woman.

Matey: Sociable; friendly. A way to address another pirate you are familiar with.

Messdeck: lawyer A know-it-all.

On the Account: Living the life of a pirate. If you are Going On The Account, you are becoming a pirate.

Privateers: A ship privately owned and crewed but authorized by a government during wartime to attack and capture enemy vessels.

Scallywag: A deceitful and unreliable scoundrel.

Scurvy: Vile; mean; low; vulgar; contemptible. Ye Scurvy Dogs!

Sprogs: Raw, untrained recruits or children.

Squiffy: A buffoon.

Sutler: A supplier.

Swab: A sailor, often a lout.

Object Words


Booty: Goods or property seized by force or piracy.

Cat O'Nine Tails: An instrument of punishment consisting of nine pieces of knotted line or cord fastened to a handle used to flog offenders on the bare back.

Chantey, Shantey, Shanty: A song sung by sailors to the rhythm of their movements while working.

Cutlass: A short heavy sword with a curved single-edged blade, once used as a weapon by sailors.

Deadlights: Eyes.

Jolly Roger: A black flag bearing a white skull and crossbones; indicates a pirate ship.

Pieces of Eight: An old Spanish silver coin. In Puzzle Pirates, they are gold.

Rope's end: A piece of rope; especially, one used as a lash in inflicting punishment.

Six Pounders: Cannons.

Action Words

Black Spotted: Similar to being black balled, it marks a pirate for death.

Careen: To lean (a ship) on one side for cleaning, caulking, or repairing.

Chain Shot: Two cannon balls united by a shot chain, formerly used in naval warfare on account of their destructive effect on a ship's rigging.

Chase: To engage in pursuit of quarry or the ship being pursued.

Hornswaggle: To cheat.

Keelhaul: To haul under the keel of a ship, by ropes attached to the yardarms on each side, used as a punishment.

Marooned: To put ashore on a deserted island or coast and intentionally abandon.

Overhaul: To gain upon in a chase; to overtake.

Walk the plank: To be forced, as by pirates, to walk off a plank extended over the side of a ship so as to drown.

Weigh anchor: Heave up an anchor in preparation for sailing (can be used for to leave port).

2 comments: