What do pirates mostly say?
Ahoy – A pirate greeting or a way to get someone's attention, similar to “Hello” or “hey!”. Arrr, Arrgh, Yarr, Gar – Pirates slang used to emphasize a point. Avast – Pirate speak for pay attention. Aye aye – Confirmation that an order is understood.
Ahoy. Ahoy is the most versatile pirate word used in movies and books. Sailors use it to call to other ships, greet each other, warn of danger, or say goodbye.
- bilge rat – an insult referring to a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship – the bilge.
- landlubber – a person unfamiliar with the sea or sailing.
- avast – stop; cease and pay attention.
- shiver me timbers – expresses shock, surprise or annoyance.
- ahoy – hello.
- aye – yes.
| Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! | Pirate catch phrase of grumbling or disgust |
|---|---|
| Weigh Anchor and Hoist the Mizzen! | An order to the crew to pull up the anchor and get this ship sailing! |
| Wench | A woman or peasant girl |
| Ye | You |
- buccaneer.
- privateer.
- corsair.
- freebooter.
- raider.
- robber.
- marauder.
- rover.
The linguist Molly Babel points out that our current associations of pirate speech came about largely through film, and that one of the primary influences was the native West Country dialect of Robert Newton, who played the main characters in several early pirate movies: Treasure Island in 1950, Blackbeard the Pirate ...
Ahoy was used as an exclamation to hail a ship or a person, or to attract attention. Avast! – Avast was a command that meant to stop or desist, and is derived from the Italian word “basta” which means stop. Aye (or ay) was the standard way to say Yes for pirates.
Most scholars think English-speaking Golden Age pirates spoke exactly the same as English-speaking merchant sailors of the time, since large numbers in both groups tended to be from riverfront neighborhoods around London, he said.
' Say 'aye' in place of yes, but don't say "nay" in place of no - not unless you want to talk like a pirate politician.
/eat - "You munch on some food." /hungry - "You look hungry." /rum - "You take a hearty swig a' rum!"
How do pirates say drunk?
Used as a threat to kill someone, or a way of saying there were no survivors. Three Sheets to the Wind: Someone who is very drunk. One sheet is mildly drunk, and four sheets is passed out.
1. Anne Bonny – At the top of the list is Anne Bonny, probably the most famous female pirate to sail during the Golden Age. She was a member of Calico Jack's crew, along with Mary Read, but it is said that the two women fought with more skill than any man on board the ship.
Arr – A pirate expression to show all kinds of emotions, approval, anger, annoyance and pain. “Arr, she be a beauty!” “Arr, bin bitten by a shark!” Avast!
You might associate doubloons with sunken pirate ships, and they were a common form of currency in the 17th and 18th century, an era sometimes called the "Golden Age of Piracy." The word comes from the Spanish doble, "double." A doubloon was worth twice as much as a ducat, and this may be where its name came from, ...
Corsairs, buccaneers and privateers
Corsairs were pirates who operated in the Mediterranean Sea between the 15th and 18th centuries. Muslim corsairs, such as the Barbarossa (red beard) brothers, had bases along North Africa's Barbary Coast, while Christian corsairs were based on the island of Malta.
They were called captains; the flamboyant leaders who steered their ships across the vast waters of the oceans, but did you know that the word “captain” in a technical sense didn't really exist for the Royal Navy during the golden age of pirates.
And if you've seen any of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you also know that the verb is used as an informal, one-word question meaning "Do you understand?" (as in "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?").
- Ahoy! - Hello.
- Aye! - Yes.
- Booty - Treasure.
- Colors - Flag.
- Matey - Shipmate or friend.
- Hearties - Friends.
- Lass - Woman or girl.
- Avast! - Stop.
Swearing like a pirate
Pirates don't swear much, instead their language is more creative. For example instead of saying “you smell like s***!” you could say “ayy me matey, ye look like ye a bin swimmin in the sewers.”
The term was popularized by a (fictional) pirate shanty in the novel Treasure Island (1883) by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) – see the quotation – but appears in earlier songs of sailors.
Why do pirates say r?
Have you ever wondered why pirates say "Arrr"? We answer this burning question with help from National Geographic and American Profile. Pronounced also as “Yarrr!” and “Arg!”, the word “Arrr!” is traditionally said by pirates when responding "yes" or when expressing excitement.
| Aaaarrrrgggghhhh! | Pirate catch phrase of grumbling or disgust |
|---|---|
| Ahoy! | Hello! |
| Ahoy, Matey | Hello, my friend! |
| Ahoy, Me Hearties! | Hello, my friends, crew members, etc.; addressed to group |
| All Hand Hoy! | Everyone get on deck! |
Ahoy, Me Hearties! All Hand Hoy!
A pirate code, pirate articles, or articles of agreement were a code of conduct for governing pirates. A group of sailors, on turning pirate, would draw up their own code or articles, which provided rules for discipline, division of stolen goods, and compensation for injured pirates.
Scalawag—also spelled scallawag or scallywag, if you prefer—is a remarkable term. Not only is it a rhythmically and visually pleasing word, but it also smacks of salt-sea air and the ruthless carousings of pirates.