Pirate Lingo

Admiral of the Black—Title of the leader of the Brethren of the Coast, an organization of buccaneers.

“Ahoy, Matey”—Hail, fellow sailor.

American Main—Eastern coast of North America.

Aye—Yes or any other affirmative reply.

Argh—The first word in any pirate’s vocabulary.  This word is used to punctuate any sentence and should be liberally sprinkled throughout the dialogue.

Barbary Coast—The Mediterranean coastline of North Africa, from Egypt to the Atlantic coastline.

Black Jack—A leather tankard.

“Blow the man down” – To kill someone.

Bring ‘em Near—A telescope.

Bring ‘er alongside”—Command to bring ships side to side for boarding.

Booty—Treasure.

Broadside—All the guns on one side of a ship, also shots fired by that line of guns.

Buccaneer—Pirates who menaced the Spanish of the Caribbean.

Cackle Fruit—Hen’s eggs.

Careen—To beach a ship and tip her on her side so the bottom can be cleaned and painted.

Cat O’Nine Tails—a nine thonged whip.

Chain Shot—Two cannonballs chained together and aimed high to destroy masts and rigging.

Corsair— Pirates of the Mediterranean.

Cutlass—A short heavy sword with a curved blade used by pirates and sailors.

Dance the hempen jig”—To hang.

Doubloons—Spanish coins found in pirate hoards.

“Emerald Shellback”—Sailor who has made the journey south of the equator and crossed at 00.00 Lat/00.00 Long.

"Feisty Wench”—Local Barmaid or other member of the female persuasion who chooses not to give in to a scurvy dogs demands.

Fire Ship—A ship loaded with powder and tar then set afire and set adrift against enemy ships to destroy them.

Gibbet Cage—Chains in which the corpses of pirates were hung and displayed in order to discourage piracy in others.

Gold Road—Road across the Isthmus of Panama used to transport gold by train of pack mules.

“Hang ‘im from the yardarm”—Pirate phrase for punishment for shipmates of captured prisoners.

“Hang the jib”—To pout or frown.

”Head”—Location in the forward part of the ship used as a latrine.

Heave-To—To come to a halt.

Hempen Halter—The hangman’s noose.

Hornswaggle—To cheat.

Hulk—British prison ships that captured pirates and privateers.

Jolly Roger—Flag declaring piracy, usually black with a white skull and crossbones or crossed swords.

Keelhaul—A method of punishment aboard pirate ships in which the victim was tied to the ship, thrown overboard and dragged underwater along the length of the keel.

Letter of Marque—License by government to attack and loot enemy ships.

Man-of-War—A vessel designed and outfitted for battle.

Marooned—To be stranded, particularly on a desert isle.

Me—Used in place of “my”.

“Measure ye fer yer chains”—To be outfitted for a gibbet cage.

Nelson’s Folly—Rum.

“No prey, no pay”—Crew received no wages, but shared in whatever loot was taken.

Overhaul—To come up next to.

Pieces of Eight—Spanish coins found in pirate hoards.

Pirate Round—Route from North America to the Indian Ocean.

Plate Fleet—Fleet of Spanish ships used to carry silver and gold to Europe.

Privateers—Government sanctioned pirates, with permission in the form of a letter of marque.

Red Ensign—British flag.

“Run a rig”—To play a trick.

“Run a shot across the bow”—Command to fire a warning shot.

Scallywag—A villainous or mischievous person.

“Scourge of the seven seas”—An extremely evil pirate.

Scurvy Dog—A prolific pirate.

Scuttle—To sink.

Scuttlebut”—The latest rumor with the crew.

“Shellback”—Sailor who has made the journey south of the equator.

“Shiver me timbers”—phrase expressing surprise.

Six Pounders—Cannons.

Spanish Main—Mainland taken by Spain, from Mexico to Peru plus the Caribbean islands.

“Wench”—Local Barmaid or other member of the female persuasion.

"Wog" — Lowest form of scum to sail the high seas. Wogs perform all dirty deeds onboard the ship until they prove themselves worthy of becoming an official member of the crew.

Ye— Used in place of “you”.