Talk like a pirate. . .

... or at least understand some of the terms that are such a big part of pirate lore and history. Know another one that's not on this list? Click EasyEdit to add it!

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To read terms from Pirate Master, click here.

A - C

TERM	DEFINITION
addled	mad or insane
ahoy	hello
arg! (also pronounced "arr!")	an exclamation!
anon
a short drop and a quick stop	a reference to hanging
avast	stop or desist
aye	an affirmation
Barbary pirate	a pirate operating on the Barbary coast - the Islamic states along the north coast of Africa (modern day Morocco, Tunisia, etc). Named for two of the earliest and most famous pirates to operate in that region, the Barbarossa brothers.
batten down the hatches	cover the hatches to the lower decks with canvas covers during a storm to prevent water from getting belowdecks
beam	an imaginary line extending port and starboard of a ship from directly amidships. If another ship is directly beside yours it is on your beam. Beam is also used to descibe the width of a ship, as in a ship's specs its stated width is always the width at midships, at the beam.
belay	stop or quit what you are doing
belaying pin	a large wooden pin, slotted through a hole in a rail, to which rigging lines are tied. In times of need also useful as a small blunt weapon
bilge	nonsense, foolishness or the lowest parts of a ship that fill with stinking water
black spot	a black smudge on a piece of paper used as a threat; sometimes accompanied by writing a specific threat
blow the man down	to strike someone hard enough to bring him to the deck
blunderbuss	a muzzle-loading firearm with a flared, trumpet- like barrel which discharges lead shot upon firing
Brethren of the Coast	Caribbean buccaneers who made a pact to cease plundering amongst themselves
bring a spring upon her cable	to come around in a different direction
bomb	cannon ammunition - a hollow cannonball filled with gunpower and armed with a primitive fuse causing it to explode after hitting an enemy ship
booty	treasure
bosun (also boatswain)	a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen
bow chaser	cannon mounted in the bow of a ship, pointing forward, for use in a chase at sea
bowsprit	pole extending forward from the vessel's prow
brass monkey	a brass tray for holding cannon balls. The expression " cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" came from the fact that, in extreme cold conditions, the brass monkeys would contract, expelling the cannon balls they were holding
brig or brigantine	a smaller, two-masted class of ship often favoured by pirates beacuse of their speed and maneuverability. The term 'brig' also refers to a cage or room on a ship used to hold prisoners
buccaneer	Term used for pirate, after the French word "boucanier," which referred to the way the Arawaks smoked meat.
bucko	friend
cackle fruit	hen's eggs
capstan	a large, vertically-oriented winch with its head on the main deck. Used for all manner of tasks on a ship - raising anchors, hoisting yards and masts into position, and moving cargo in and out of the hold
careen	to turn over a ship and clean the barnacles and seaweed from it's bottom
carouser	one who engages in riotous drinking and festivities
carronade	a type of heavy ship armament mounted on a non-moving sliderail rather than a wheeled carriage. Carronades are usually more powerful, but less accurate and with less range, than a cannon.
cat o' nine tails	a whip with nine lashes used for flogging
chanty (also shanty)	a song that is sung while working helping the sailors keep a steady rythym for tasks that require coordinated effort
chain shot	cannon ammunition - two balls connected by a chain. Used against a ship's rigging to destroy masts and sails and cut lines
coffer	a treasure chest
come about	to turn the ship
corsair	a romantic or flamboyant version of the word privateer, or pirate
coxswain	a person who steers the ship and usually has charge of the crew
crack Jenny's teacup	to spend a night in the house of ill refute
crimp	Nefarious freelance recruiter of ship's crews.
crow's nest	the name often inaccurately given to the platforms up on the masts above the yards. These are properly called 'tops' or 'fighting tops'. The term 'crow's nest' was only applied to those platforms on whaling ships where the crew would line the platforms with blankets, straw, etc., in order to stay warm during long cold watches in the cold climates where the whales were found
cutlass	a heavy, curved, single-edged sword. A common weapon for pirates and sailors because, being curved and usually shorter in length, they were easier to wield in crowded melées on a ship's deck

D - G

Davy Jones' locker	he bottom of the sea: oblivion / hell
Dead Men Tell No Tales	reason for leaving no survivors
Deadlights	eyes
dead reckoning	a method of navigation that uses a chart or peg board and calculates course, speed and time to determine current location
doldrums	when the wind dies for a long period of time - sometimes weeks - leaving the ship adrift and unable to sail. Doldrums are often encountered to either side of the equator before you reach the tropics (ie Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer)
Dubloon	A gold coin minted by Spain. Worth about seven week's pay to an average sailor.
Execution Dock	the place for pirate hangings
Flibustier	French word for pirate.
Fire in the Hole	a warning before cannon fire
forecastle or fo'c'sle	a raised deck at the fore of a ship. Some ships that do not have a raised deck at the fore still refer to the foreward section of the main deck as the fo'c'sle
foremast	mast located towards the bow of a ship, fore of the main mast
galley	a ship's kitchen. Also a term for a kind of ship that uses many oars as its main means of propulsion
gangway	the main walking paths along the deck of a ship
Gibbet	cage displaying the corpses of pirates in order to discourage piracy
Give no quarter	Show no mercy
grape or grapeshot	cannon ammunition - small balls of lead or iron fired in quantity from a cannon. Anti-personnel ammunition for clearing an enemy ship's decks prior to boarding
Grog	Mixture of water, rum, and latterly sour fruit juice to ward off scurvy.

H - L

hands	a term for crew members, as in "all hands on deck"
halyard	line used to hoist a sail, spar, or flag
hang the jib	to frown
hard-tack	Ship's biscuit - also known as "toothbreakers" and "seabiscuits"
head	the proper term for a ship's toilet
hearties	term to refer to fellowship among sailors
heave to	braking maneuver that slows the ship's pace and fixes its course, allowing the crew to perform other duties. Often called out as an order from one ship to another, demanding the other ship strike sails and stop moving in order to be boarded.
"helm's a-lee!" (also "all hands about ship!")	a shouted warning to the crew that the ship is about to make a turn, most often used when tacking
hempen halter	hangman's noose
ho!	used to express joy or attract attention (ex: Land ho!)
hogshead	large barrel
holystone	coarse stones used to sand down the decks and keep them smooth, preventing splinters
hornswaggle	to cheat
hot shot	cannonball heated red hot prior to firing in order to cause fires on the enemy ship - very dangerous to use, often caused premature firing of the cannon or even caused the cannon to explode
Jack Ketch	famed English executioner - became shorthand for death at the hands of the law
Jack Tar	common name for sailors of the Royal Navy
Jibing	different from tacking, more danger, means to turn the back of the vessel so that it moves through the wind
Jib sheet	the sheet or line that controls the jib sail
Jolly Roger	pirate flag
keel	the backbone of a ship - a heavy wood beam running down from the bow along the bottom of the hull to the stern post
keelhaul	horrific punishment involving being dragged under the ship - resulting in massive lacerations at best, drowning at worst
kiss the gunner's daughter	punishment consisting of being hoisted over one of the ship's guns and flogged
larboard	older term for the port side of a ship
league	equal to the distance of 3 miles
lee	the side of a ship or object away from thewind
letter of marque	letter of mandate from a government permitting pirates to freely raid merchant ships of enemy countries - thus earning them the title of "privateer"
lines	all ropes on a ship are referred to as 'lines'. Sailors never use the word 'ropes'
loaded to the gunwalls	to be drunk
loose in stays	an expression that specifically refers to a ship that frequently "misses stays" or stalls out and fails to complete a turn while tacking. But often used generally as an expression for a ship that has slack discipline or is poorly handled
lubber (or landlubber)	derisive term for land-dwellers. Also applied to inexperienced sailors (Royal Navy trainee sailors were referred to as "landmen", graduating to "seaman" grade after one year).

M - Q

main mast	primary mast - largest of a ship's masts. Located directly amidships, the middle mast in a three-masted ship
man of war	a vessel designed for battle
marlinspike	an iron pointed tool used to seperate strands of line for splicing
marooned	to be stranded
mizzen	the rear-most mast in a ship
mutiny	an uprising aboard a ship where the crew attempts to take control from the captain
no prey, no pay	a common law among pirates referring to the crew received no wages, they were only paid through plundering and sharing the loot
nipperkin	a small drink or cup
no quarter	an instruction that an enemy crew is to be shown no mercy. There are to be no survivors.
pieces of eight	Spanish silver pesos (1 peso = 8 reales).
The Pirate Round	Infamous pirate-infested trade route from America to Madagascar and the Indian Ocean
poop deck	the highest deck on the ship; usually above the captain's quarters
powder monkey	term for a crew member whose job during battle was to run back and forth from the ship's powder hold to keep the guns supplied with black powder
press ganging	to force individuals to serve aboard a ship
privateer	government-sanctioned pirate permitted to raid enemy vessels (see letters of marque above) for profit and military advantage. Sir Francis Drake and Alexander Godfrey were famous privateers
prize	a captured ship and/or its cargo
quarterdeck	deck above the main deck at the aft of a ship. Usually where the captain and officer command the ship from

R - Z

ratline	horizontal lines run along the shrouds (see shrouds) to create a ladder for the crew to use in getting to the rigging and yards
renegade or renegado	a term originally applied to Christian European pirates who captained or served on Islamic pirate ships of the Barbary coast
run a rig	to play a trick
rigging	term for all the lines that support the masts and allow for the operation of sails on a sailing ship
rode	anchor line or chain
round shot	typical cannonball - simply a sphere of lead or iron
Step To	a command to move quickly
sail ho!	exclamation alerting others that another ship is in view
scallywag	a villanious or bothersome person
scope	length of anchor rode - measured in water depth units
scurvy	a disease caused by deficiency of vitamin C characterized by spongy and bleeding gums, bleeding under the skin and extreme weakness
scuppers	holes or vents in a ships rail at deck level that allow water to drain from the decks
scut	small crack or chink in the deck
Sea Legs	the ability to adjust one's balance along with the motion of the ship; particularly violent motions on rough seas
sea rover	a pirate's ship
Shiver Me Timbers!	An expression of surprise or fear
shroud	lines running from a mast to either side, port or starboard, that support the mast. Horiztontal 'ratlines' are run along the shrouds to create a ladder for the crew to use in getting to the rigging and yards
Sink Me!	An expression of surprise
sloop	Small, fast ship used by pirates in the Caribbean
slow match	a rope of braided hemp, often infused with gunpowder, that burned slowly like a candle wick and was applied to the touch hole of a cannon in order to fire it. Blackbeard braided small pieces of slow match into his hair and beard to create a wreath of smoke around his head, terrifying his enemies
splice the mainbrace	an order given aboard ships to issue the crew with a drink of rum or grog
spirits	alcoholic beverages; particularly distilled liquor
squiffy	to be intoxicated
starboard	right side of vessel looking forward from stern
starting rope	a short length of heavy rope with a large knot in the end which the bosun uses to beat crew members to 'start' them - i.e. make them work harder and/or faster
stay	a heavy line running for or aft of a mast that supports the mast. Stays often have tiangular sails rigged from them called 'staysails'
stern chaser	cannon mounted in the stern of a ship aimed behind the ship for use if the ship is being chased
stink pot	primitive grenade-like weapon that emits noxious fumes. Lobbed aboard an enemy ship to sicken and disorient their crew prior to boarding
strike sails	bring in the sails - either furling them, or taking them completely off the yards
studdingsails	square sails that are rigged to extra yards that are lashed to and extra further out from the primary yards, they extend the width of the sails on a square-rigged ship
swag	loot
swashbuckler	16th century English term for rough, noisy and boastful swordsmen, often applied to pirates
swivel gun	small cannon mounted on a swivel mount afixed to a ship's rail. Used to repel boarders or clear an enemy's deck prior to boarding
tacking	a technique for sailing a ship against the wind. It involves sailing the ship on a zig-zag course, sailing a few degrees off the direction of the wind for a period of time, then turning through the wind and sailing for another period of time a few degrees the other side of the direction of the wind.
take a caulk	to take a nap
top or fighting top	the platforms on the masts above the yards. Used in combat as a platform for firing small arms down on an enemy's deck. Often inaccurately called 'crow's nests'
topgallant or t'gallant	third sail on the mast, above the topsail
topsail	the second sail up the mast from the deck
walk the plank	fictional method of execution, never actually known to have been used by real pirates
weather gauge (to have the ~)	to have the weather gauge means to have a positional advantage on another ship in combat, where the wind is blowing the right direction for your ship to quickly close and engage the other ship, but blowing in the wrong direction for the other ship to do the same
wench	a young peasant woman
yard (or yardarm)	the horizontal bars from which the sails are rigged in a square-rigged vessel
Yellow Jack	a yellow flag flown as a sign of illness present on a ship