International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Ahoy mateys! ‘Tis time to forget all that fancy English speak and start talking like a pirate!

What is International Talk Like a Pirate Day?

It is the one day a year when kids and grown-ups alike can celebrate the silly way pirates talk. Pirates are bad guys who did bad things, but this day is all in good fun.

Why Celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day?

Why not?

How do I get started?

It’s easy. Start by furrowing your brow. Then, turn your voice into a loud growl, use “me” instead of “my” and “ye” instead of “you,” add in a few “Arrrs” and some phrases from the list below and you’ll be talking like a pirate in no time.

Example: “Arrr, scallywag, ye best be gettin’ off me ship or prepare to walk the plank!”

Here be a few phrases to get ye started. Slap on an eye patch and yer favorite pirate gear for added fun.

General Pirate Talk:

• Ahoy! =Hello or hi. It is kind of like the pirate version of Aloha, so it can also mean Goodbye.
• Aye! = Yes  (Aye! Me wants me treasure!)
• Booty = Treasure  (Me booty has been stolen!)
• Colors = Flag   (Avast, mateys! Hoist yer colors!)
• Matey = Shipmate or friend    (Ahoy matey!)
• Hearties = Friends    (Ahoy, me hearties!)
• Lass = Woman or girl    (Me mom is such a pretty lass!)
• Landlubber = Someone who does not take well to life on the seas   (The lad be a landlubber, arrrr.)
• Avast! = Stop    (Avast ye scallywag!)
• Blimey! = Something to say when frustrated    (Blimey, ye stole me treasure!)
• Savvy? = Do you understand?    (It’s me treasure, savvy?)
• Shiver me timbers! = Something to say when you are surprised   (Shiver me timbers, me found me treasure!)
• Blow me down! = Similar to Shiver me timbers believed to come from the sound the ship made when hit by a cannon blast.   (Blow me down! Me treasure’s been stolen!)
• Yo-ho-ho = Something to say when happy (which pirates rarely are, so use this sparingly)
• Ye = Use this instead of “you”   (Ye best be getting off me ship!)
• Buccaneer = Another name for pirate   (He be a fine buccaneer.)
• Lad = Young man   (That lad be no match for a pirate!)
• Scallywag = Someone you don’t trust   (Arrr, that lad be a scallywag!)
• Shanty = Song   (Sing me a shanty or prepare to walk the plank!)
• Cutlass = Pirate’s sword   (Fetch me cutlass, me treasure’s been stolen!)
• Doubloons = Gold coins or money   (Avast ye scallywag. Drop me doubloons!)
• Jolly Roger = The flag of a pirate ship   (Hoist the Jolly Roger!)
• Hornswaggle = To cheat someone   (Arrr, the scallywag be hornswaggling me.)
• Walk the plank = To be forced to walk off a plank of the ship into the ocean   (Drop me treasure or ye be walking the plank!)
• Weigh Anchor = Get the ship ready to sail   (Weigh anchor, mateys. There’s treasure to be found!)

Pirate Talk for Parts of the Ship:

• Aft = The back of the ship
• Bilge = Bottom of the ship
• Fore = Front of the ship
• Port = Left side of the ship
• Starboard = Right side of the ship

Pirate Talk for Food:

• Cackle Fruit = Chicken eggs
• Doughboy = dumplings made of flour and animal fat.
• Hardtack = Extremely hard crackers made of flour, water, and salt.
• Junk = Salted beef or pork (like really hard beef jerky)
• Leather =  Desperate times called for desperate measures. The food of last resort was not even food, but animal hide.
• Salmagundi = A popular dish of chopped meat ( beef, fish, chicken, pig, turtle, etc.), eggs, anchovies, onions, grapes, cabbage or herring, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, oil, vinegar.

Sources: http://www.ducksters.com/; http://talklikeapirate.com/