Pirate Dictionary

A

Abaft - Indicatin' the aft', toward the back end or stern of the ship.

Abeam - At a right angle to the keel of the ship, but not on the boat.

Aboard - on the ship, or in the boat.

Above Board - Meaning "legitimate" since if a ship’s crew were all visible above decks it was unlikely they were pirates, who often hid below decks when approaching another vessel.

Abreast - by the side of, or side by side.

Adrift - loose, not tied or moored.

Aft - the stern of the ship, the back end.

Aground - hitting bottom, or stuck fast to the ground.

Ahoy! or Ahoy there! - Generally it means "Hello!" or "Hi!" but can sometimes be used for "Goodbye", similar to "Aloha" in Hawaii.

Alee - opposite of windward, away from the direction of the wind.

All in the Wind - the state of a ship's sails when they are parallel to the direction of the wind, causing shaking or quivering.

Aloft - on a higher part of a ship, in reference to the deck. Up the mast, or up the rigging. Or on the deck as opposed to below deck.

Amidships - in the center of the ship.

Anchorage - a suitable place for anchoring in relation to the wind, seas and bottom.

Anchors aweigh - pirate way of sayin' goodbye.

Ant’s Bollock on a Beach - A slang term used in the Royal Navy to mean something be very difficult to find.

Archpirate - Used since antiquity to refer to a pirate who commands a fleet of vessels.

Arrack - A strong drink made with fermented fruit or palm sap, rice, or molasses.

A Soft Farewell - When a ship which was part of a pirate fleet departed secretly at night from the others to avoid sharing out booty.

Astern - in back of the ship, opposite of ahead.

Athwartships - This be an imaginary line drawn from bow to stern that equally divides the ship from side to side.

Avast, or Avast Ye! - This means "Stop and pay attention." Like the Dutch term for 'hold fast'. In modern terms, "Hey".

Aweigh - the position of anchor as it is raised clear of the bottom. As in 'anchors aweigh'. Clear to sail.

Aye - Yes. Confirmation in the affirmative.

B

Bale - to remove water from the boat or ship by means of a bucket or other device.

Bamboozle - to deceive by trickery or hoax.

Barbary Coast - term applied to the north coast of Africa from the Atlantic ocean to the western border of Egypt. derived from the Berbers who were the main inhabitants of this region.

Barnacles - attached themselves to the bottom of a wooden ship, eating away the wood and weakening the seams between the planks. Could sink a ship if not removed regularly.

Barrels - round wooden cask used for storage, in various sizes.

Puncheon = either 84 or 120 gallons.

Butt = 108 gallons.

Hogshead = 63 gallons.

Barrel = between 31-42 gallons.

Tierce = 42 gallons.

Kilderkin = 18 gallons.

Firkin = 9 gallons.

Rundlet= from 3 - 20 gallons, usually 14.5 gallons.

Batten Down - secure hatches and loose objects in the ship and on the decks.

Beam - The greatest width of the ship.

Bearing - the direction expressed as shown on a chart, or relative to the heading of the ship.

Bear Up - To keep the ship’s bow away from the wind. An expression that was then used to mean "remain cheerful".

Belay - this meant to wrap a rope around a fixture like a cleat to secure it, or to tie something down, as with a belaying pin. In slang, it came to mean "stop what you’re saying" or, as "Belay that yarn!", to mean "stop those lies!"

Or, "Belay me last command."

Below - under the top deck of the ship.

Berth - the deck below the gun decks where you find the mess, sick bay, living and sleeping quarters. Usually just above the water line, therefore no portholes, usually poorly vented and poorly lit.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - Used nowadays to mean one has only two poor choices, but "devil" actually referred to the first and longest beam of a ship’s keel (so called because it was the most difficult to access and clean when in dock). Therefore, the expression meant there is nothing between the ship and the sea.

Bight - the part of the rope or line, between the end and the standing part, on which a knot is formed.

Bilge - the bottom of a ships hull on either side of the keel. The lowest internal part of the hull.

Bilge Rat - a literal rat living in the bottom of the ship, more commonly a derogatory term for a scoundrel, like a scurvy dog.

Bilge Water - water on the bottom that cannot get to the bilge pump because of the flatness of a ships bottom.

Binnacle - A box or case which houses the compass upon the deck.

Binnacle List - a list that was kept at the binnacle with the names of men unable to report for duty due to sickness.

Bite the Bullet - An expression meaning to face something unpleasant. The expression comes from the habit of a flogged sailor biting on a real bullet so that he did not cry out and bring ridicule from his crewmates.

Bitter End - The end of the anchor rope which was attached to a wooden post or bitt on the ship. To "reach the bitter end" was, therefore, to pay out all of the anchor rope and reach the limit. "In deep water" and "at one’s rope’s end" have the same meaning.

Bitts - large pieces of timber in the fore-part of a ship which cables or ropes are fastened to when at anchor.

Black Jack - Large drinking cups or jugs made of leather made stiffer with an application of tar, often used by dockside bars and taverns.

Black Spot - This be Death threat among pirates made of a black spot or mark on a scrap of paper with more specific detail sometimes written on the other side. To be 'placin' the black spot' be markin' someone for death.

Blagueur - a liar, o one who tells tall tales. A joker or a swindler.

Bloody - used as foul language, expressing anger or resentment.

Blooding and Sweating - A form of torture used by pirates such as making a captive run between a line of sailors who pricked them with sail needles and then shutting the victim inside a barrel full of cockroaches. A less unsavoury version was to make a victim run endlessly around the main mast encouraging them with the point of a cutlass until they collapsed from exhaustion.

Blue Monday - This refers to the common practice in the Royal Navy of dishing out punishments like floggings on a Monday.

Blues - To feel down, this expression likely derives from the practice of a ship flying a blue flag when its captain, commander, or an officer has died at sea. Some ships painted a blue line on their hulls instead of raising a flag.

Board a Ship - to enter an enemy ship, to engage in warfare.

Boatswain - Often pronounced Bosun, this crew member was in charge of the deck, including the crew, sails, rigging, anchors, equipment, or any activity on the deck.

Bold Shore - a steep coast permitting an approaching ship to get close before being seen.

Bombed - Meaning "drunk". The term comes from a leather jug known as a bombard which was used to store up to 8 pints (4.5 l) of beer or ale. Consequently, "bombarded" also meant "drunk".

Bonnet - an additional canvas put to the sail in moderate weather to capture more wind.

Boot Top - a painted line to indicate the designed waterline.

Booty - Treasure, plunder, profit or spoils. The goods captured, which were then distributed, often surprisingly fairly amongst the pirate crew. Typically only divided at the end of a voyage after sale, an extra share was given to those who had suffered injuries.

Bow - the forward part of the ship.

Bow line - a docking line leading from the bow.

Bowline - a knot used to form a temporary loop in the end of a line.

Bowsprit - a large piece of timber which sticks out from the bow or front of a ship.

Brace - two or more of some type of firearm or artillery. Blackbeard was known to carry a brace of pistols numbering six.

Brethren of the Coast - A name given to pirates of the Caribbean (although they themselves never used it).

Bridge - the location on a ship from where it is steered, or controlled.

Brightwork - polished metal items on a ship that required polishing, or varnished woodwork that required attention.

Bring your Arse to Anchor" - Meaning to sit down.

Broadside - a discharge of all the guns on one side of a ship.

Buccaneer - 1) A pirate who be answerin' to no man or government lackey. 2) One who dries and smokes meat for long-term preservation. Blackbeard was a buccaneer for a time, selling the meat to ships that harbored nearby.

Bulkhead - a vertical partition separating compartments.

Bumboo - A West Indies drink, common for pirates of the Caribbean, made with watered rum and flavored with sugar and nutmeg.

Buoy - an anchored float used for marking a position on the water, or a hazardous shoal.

By the Powers! - an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!

C

Cabin - a berth in a ship.

Cabin boy - a boy who waits on the officers/or passengers on a ship.

Cack-Handed - someone who ofter drops or breaks things or does things badly.

Cackle Fruit - Chicken eggs.

Cannon - a piece of ordinance, a gun, or firearm of a size which requires it to be mounted for firing.

Capsize - to turn over.

Careen - to heel over a ship to clean the seaweed and barnacles from the bottom of the ship. A very hazardous task.

Case shot - canister shot, or a collection of small projectiles fired from a cannon.

Cast-off - to let go.

Castoffs - Unwanted land clothes and old ropes left on shore before setting sail.

Catgut Scraper - Slang for the ship’s fiddler.

Cat-o'-nine tails - sometimes called the Captain's Daughter. A whip for floggin' mutineers. A long whip in use from the 16th century to maintain discipline on board ship. It was made of nine lengths of rope attached to a single length with a wooden handle. Each of the nine 'tails' had at least three knots in them to make the whip even more likely to damage its victim. Often, if the whipper was not deemed vigorous enough, he risked being whipped himself, and to ensure the blows were always powerful, the whipper was changed every 12 strokes.

Chain Shot - two cannonballs chained together and aimed high to destroy masts and rigging.

Chart - a map used by navigators.

Chase - a vessel pursued or chased by another.

Chase-gun - could be a bow chaser or stern chaser. A cannon mounted in the bow or stern of a sailing ship that targeted the ship chasing or being pursued. Usually long range guns firing lightweight charges, targeting the rigging, slowing down the other ship.

Chaser - the ship doing the pursuing.

Chock-A-Block - Meaning "packed with people" but deriving from the occasion when two rigging blocks are so close together that the ropes are at their limit and the sail can no longer be manuevered.

Clean Slate - Meaning all is well and ready to start anew. It derives from the practice of writing navigational readings and the occurrences of a watch (period of 24 hours) on a slate board. When the watch ended and the information was noted in the logbook by the captain or an officer, the slate was wiped clean.

Cleat - a fitting to which lines are made fast.

Clove Hitch - a knot for temporarily fastening a line to a spar or piling.

Coaming - A vertical rim surrounding hatch openings and such to keep any water on deck from entering below it.

Cockswain - Originally this be the Captain's attendant who would row him to and from the ship, later came to mean the helmsman.

Coil - to lay a line down in circular turns.

Come About - prepare the ship for tacking.

Commissions - a license issued to privateers by a government that authorized raids on foreign shipping.

Conscripts or Conscriptees - people forced to serve in an army or on a crew unwillingly.

Coopers - wooden barrel makers, common aboard wooden ships.

Corsair - the name of a pirate or privateer in the languages of the Mediterranean, mainly used for the cruisers of the Barbary coast.

Course - the direction in which a ship is being steered.

Crack On - To make good speed. The term derives from the cracking noise made by ropes and sails made taut by a strong wind.

Cross Grained Cur - derogatory term, as in a mixed breed mongrel dog.

Crow's Nest - a cylindrical box fixed to the mast-head of a ship as a shelter for a lookout man.

Cut and Run - The practice of cutting the anchor cable with an axe rather than hauling it on board, done to save time and make a quick departure from a risky situation. To "cut loose" has the same meaning, while "cut to the chase" is similar in that rigging was hastily cut to make sails ready as fast as possible to pursue another vessel.

Cut of your Jib - the actions , opinions, or lifestyle of an individual, or group. How one conducts himself.

Cutlass - a short heavy curve sword, typically carried by pirates.

D

Dance the hempen jig - To hang. The hanging rope often be made of hemp fibers.

Davy Jones Locker - An expression first used to refer to the sea where the souls of dead mariners are collected by the evil spirit Davy Jones. Jones keeps the souls in his locker, an imaginary place at the ocean bottom that holds dead sailors and pirates...a reference to death. Davy Jones was said to be an evil spirit lurking at sea, waiting to escort dead sailors or pirates to his place or locker at the bottom of the waters, where the souls of dead men lie.

To 'be in Davy's grip' - To be close to death, or frightened.

To 'have the Davies' - or the Joneseys: To be frightened.

To 'see you to Davy Jones' - To threaten to kill some one.

Dead Ahead - directly ahead.

Dead Astern - directly aft, or behind.

Dead Reckoning - the estimation of a ship's position from the distance run by the log and the courses steered by the compass, with corrections for current, leeway, etc. but without astronomical observations.

Dead Water - the eliy water, which appears like whirlpools, closing in with the ship's stern, as she sails on.

Dead Men Tell No Tales - A phrase attributed to pirates (without any evidence) to mean that murdered captives could not bear witness to an act of piracy. Most pirates through history did not kill their victims but either left them alone, recruited them, or sold them as slaves.

Deck - a permanent covering over a compartment, hull or any part thereof. Decks include the Poop, Forecastle, Spar, Main, Lower Deck, Middle Deck, Berth, Orlop, Berth, Bilge, and others.

Deck Apes - slow witted deck hands.

Deck Cargo - Naval slang for a woman’s breasts.

Deep Six - Waters greater than six fathoms in depth (36 ft or 11 meters). It may refer to throwing things overboard and was the minimum depth for burials at sea, hence it became a euphemism for committing a corpse to the sea. Nowadays, it has come to mean "dispose of" in general.

the Devil's Jig - to hang.

Dinghy - a small open boat, usually to carry personnel to shore and back from a larger vessel.

Dirk - a long thin knife used for close quarter fighting or for cutting rope.

Displacement - the weight of water displaced by a floating vessel, thus, a boat's weight.

Dock - a protected area of water where vessels are moored. Also denotes a pier or wharf.

Dogwatch - the watches form four to six, and from six to eight in the evening.

Doughboy - Simple dumplings made of flour and animal fat.

Down the Hatch - To put cargo through the hatch and into the hold. The expression was used as a toast when drinking alcohol.

Dressing Down - The unpleasant task of re-waterproofing sails while they were fully rigged. The expression came to mean to receive a reprimand.

Duffle - Everything a sailor owns, more commonly used as the name 'o the bag which holds everythin' he be ownin'.

Dungbie - The hiney or rear end.

Doubloons - The largest gold coin (just under an ounce) minted by the Spanish for use in Spain and colonies in the Americas from the 16th century.

Draft - the depth of water a boat draws.

Drivelswigger - One who reads about nautical terms too much.

E

Eight Bells - Ships worked in four hour shifts. Everytime the hourglass was turned the ships bell was rung indicating the passage of thirty minutes. When rung eight times, the crew knew that the four hour shift was up and time for a new crew shift to take over.

Ensign - 1)a military or naval flag, standard, or banner. 2) the rank given to newly commissioned officers of the U.S. Navy.

Even Keel - when the keel is parallel with the horizon.

F

Fair winds and followin’ seas! – A popular maritime phrase that pirates used to bid farewell, wishing smooth sailing and favorable currents to their comrades.

Fag End - The tattered ends of an old rope, used to refer to a cigarette butt or the remains of anything of not much value.

Fare thee well – This classic expression is a formal way to say “goodbye” to someone. It shows a touch of elegance while maintaining the pirate spirit.

Fathom - a nautical measurement equal to approximately six feet. Sailors measured rope by their outstretched arms, about six feet.

Fiddlers Green - the private heaven where pirates be goin' when they die.

Fifteen Men on a Dead Man’s Chest - A pirate song invented by Robert Louis Stevenson for his 1883 novel Treasure Island. The lines are:

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest.

The chest in the song is not a box of treasure but the small island Dead Man’s Chest (now called Dead Chest Island) in the British Virgin Islands.

First Rate - The top rating or class of naval ships, typically those with more than 100 cannons on board.

Fisher - any vessel employed in fishing, or people who work on a fishing craft.

Flake Out - The practice of laying an anchor flat on deck so that it could be easily thrown overboard without entangling the anchor rope. The expression came to mean lying down exhausted or failing to keep to an appointment or commitment.

Fo'c's'le - An abbreviation for forecastle, the forwardmost part of the ship.

Following Breeze or wind - a wind that helps push a sailing vessel forward.

Following Sea - an overtaking sea that comes from astern.

Footloose - When a sail is left free and untied at its bottom edge. The expression came to mean "free to do what one wishes" since one has no ties or responsibilities. Often followed by "and fancy-free" for emphasis.

Fortnight - a period of two weeks.

Foul Up or Fouled - Meaning the anchor rope has become entangled, or any piece of equipment that is jammed or dirtied. Nowadays the expression means to make a mistake or to ruin something.

Freebooter - pirate, mercenary, or privateer. Taken from the Dutch for 'free' and 'plunder', reference to a pirate.

Freeze the Balls off a Brass Monkey - Not quite as rude as it sounds, the 'monkey' was a brass metal tray on which iron cannonballs were neatly stacked in a pyramid. In cold temperatures, the different metals reacted differently and the pile of balls might shift about.

From the Seas - This was a typical pirate’s answer to the question "where are you from?" and was given to conceal their identity. It might also be given by pirate ships when entering a port for the same reason. In use from the 17th century.

Furner - a ship which be yer own, not one ye steal an' plunder.

Futtock Shrouds - Pieces joining the riggin' of lower and top masts. Be careful how ye be pronouncin' this in polite company.

H

Handsomely - to accomplish a task with skill and dexterity.

Hanging Cabin - a hammock or cot, usually slept in by sailors.

Hatch - an opening in a ship's deck usually fitted with watertight covers to keep water from entering.

Hardtack - extremely hard crackers made of flour, water, and salt. Hardtack would keep for years if dry, but ships never are, so they often grew maggots or other worms. Also called: hardbread, ship's biscuit, tooth dullers, molar breakers, sheet iron crackers, and worm castles.

Haul - to pull a rope.

Head - in modern days, a marine toilet. In Blackbeard's day it be no more than a hole cut in the decking at the head or bow of the ship that would allow waste to go into the sea, the waves hopefully washing away what may have not hit the water (also called a jardin). This be NOT the same as the poop deck!

Heading - the direction in which a vessel's bow is pointed at any given time.

Head Way - the forward motion of a ship. Moving forward.

to be 'Hell Bent' - to be extremely determined to do something, without considering the risks or possible dangerous results.

Hearties or Me Hearties - a brave or loyal mate or sailor.

Heave To - to bring a ship to a standstill by setting the sails so as to counter each other and make her lie still.

Hell-raking - debauchery, living violently, unrestrained, loose, or wanton life.

Helm - the wheel or tiller controlling the rudder.

Helmsman - the person who steers the ship from the helm.

High and Dry - the position of a ship when run aground so far as to be seen on dry ground.

Hitch and half hitch - knots used to secure a rope to another rope or another object.

Hogshead - a large barrel or cask holding 63 to 140 gallons, usually referring to alcohol.

Hoist - to draw up any body or thing, like a sail, by the assistance of one or more block and tackles.

Hold or Cargo Hold - a compartment below deck in a ship, used for cargo.

Holystone -Bars of sandstone used to scrub the decks. The softer areas of the stone would wear away and leave holes. Also, the sailors were said to look like they were praying as they knelt to scrub.

Hornpipe - a musical wind instrument made of horn.

Hornswaggle - to cheat, bamboozle or defraud, often of money or belongings.

Hull - the main body of a ship.

I & J

I be placed in a bewilderment - I am confused, puzzled, mystified.

In Consort - when two or more pirate vessels agreed to split booty even if they were in the meantime separated.

Interloper - a person or ship that intrudes into another's business or trading area.

Jack - a flag or a sailor.

Jack Ketch - the hangman. To 'Dance with 'Jack Ketch' is to be hanged. To 'Cheat Jack Ketch' is to escape hanging.

Jack Tar - early sailor's tarpaulin clothing was infused with tar, which some say also deflected sword blows in addition to shedding water. Also used for a common sailor.

Jacob's Ladder - the rope ladder used to climb aboard the ship.

Jetty - a struture projecting our from the shore, to protect an entrance to a harbor.

Jib - the foremost sail of a ship.

Jolly Roger - This be the standard flag of a pirate ship. Usually a black flag, includin' a white skull and crossbones. The Jolly Roger flag be announcin' to your target that ye be pirates, and were designed to instill terror into victims and bring immediate surrender whenever they were raised.

Junk - 1) salted beef or pork, not freshly cooked and prepared meat. The salt be intended to preserve it inside a barrel. It got really hard. (see hardtack)

2) old cable or rope cut up into short lengths and used for making fenders, between ship and wharf.

K & L

Keel - the centerline of a ship running fore and aft, the backbone of a ship.

Keelhaul - a truly vicious punishment where a scurvy dog be tied to a rope and dragged under the barnacle-encrusted bottom of a ship.

Keep Aloof - to keep the ship pointed to the wind when on a lee shore and so prevent it from being shipwrecked against the land.

Keep a weather eye out! – a farewell warning to stay vigilant and be aware of any potential dangers, similar to advising someone to “take care” before parting ways. To keep your wits about you.

Kick the Bucket - if a hangman’s scaffold or ladder were not available then the person about to be hanged stood on a bucket until it was kicked away from under their feet.

Knot (nautical term) - a measure of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour.

Land Ho! - the cry uttered by a lookout on the first sight of land.

Landlubber - 'Lubber' was an old English word for a big, slow, clumsy person, and this term was aimed at those on board who were not very skilled or at ease with ship life, as if to say, "You were no better on the land." Also sometimes used for persons who lived on dry land.

Lass - a woman.

Latin blood - hot headed, emotional.

Lattitude - the distance north or south of the equator measured and expressed in degrees.

League - a nautical unit of measurement equal to approximately three miles.

Leather - the food of last resort was not even food, but animal hide.

Lee - the side sheltered from the wind.

Lee Shore - usually means the shore protected from the wind.

Lily-livered - faint o' heart.

Letter of Marque - a commission or license issued by a government, authorizing attacks on, and seizure of property from an enemy countries' ships.

Loaded to the Gunwales (pronounced gunnels) - drunk.

Log or Ship's Log - a record of a ship's operations.

Longitude - the distance in degrees east or west of the meridian at Greenwich, England.

Long Nines or Nine Pounders - long barreled cannons firing a nine pound solid shot usually used as a chaser gun on the bow of a ship.

Lower Deck - the second deck containing cannons.

M

Magazine - the place where gunpowder is stored.

Make Me Toes Curl - may mean to scare you, or to gross you out.

Man-o-War - a ship equipped for warfare, usually by a country.

Mariner - a person who navigates a ship, a sailor, a person employed on a ship.

Maroon - to deliberately leave a mariner without help, typically on a small uninhabited island. Pirate captains were known to maroon troublemakers, deserters, cowards, and thieves, usually leaving them without provisions or even clothes. An alternative to leaving the person on land was to set them adrift in a small boat with no oars. The threat of thirst and starvation meant some men preferred to be killed outright rather than be marooned. Some victims were given a pistol so that they could shoot themselves.

Marooner - from the Spanish word cimarrónes, which referred to an escaped slave in the 17th century. Marooner was applied to Caribbean pirates in the same period. Besides being a reference to the poor soul marooned on an island, it also can refer to a pirate who found his current line of work after deserting a military position or perhaps a state of slavery.

Master - a professional mariner.

Masthead - the highest part of a mast. The place of observation or flying a flag.

Mate or Matey - a shipmate or a friend. In use from the 14th century, a mate is a fellow crew member, co-worker, comrade-in-arms or a person one simply spends a lot of time with. It is also the title of an officer on both merchant and naval ships charged with looking after the stowage of cargo, organizing the daily tasks of the crew, and who ensured the captain's or other officers' orders were obeyed.

Matelot - a much more involved relationship than mate (see above) where two men lived together, ate together, shared their possessions, and looked after each other during battles and illness. The term was in use from the 17th century but comes from the French word which signified two mariners who always ate together. This type of relationship was particularly common in pirate havens.

Me hearty - a friend or shipmate.

Me - My. Sometimes used in place of 'I'.

Merchant Marine - a sailor working on a merchant ship.

Miscreant - a person who behaves badly or does not follow the rules.

Mizzen - the third mast from the bow on a vessel having three or more masts, or the mast immediately aft of the main-mast.

Monkey - a small cannon.

Monkey Jacket - a short waist jacket worn by midshipmen.

Mutiny - a group (usually sailors) turning against the captain or person in charge.

N & O

Nautical Mile - one minute of latitude or about 6076 feet.

Navigation - the art and science of steering a ship from one point to another.

Nightingale - a derogatory term applied to a sailor who cried out in pain when being flogged, which was taken as a lack of guts and courage.

No Purchase, No Pay - an expression first used in the 16th century that meant a pirate would receive no reward unless booty were taken, 'purchase' being an archaic term for plunder. The expression survives in modern marine salvage where "no cure, no pay" means the vessel must be first successfully salvaged before crews are paid.

No Quarter Given - a warning that if you resist, you will be killed. If you don't resist, your life will be spared.

Orlop - the lowest deck on a ship for stowing cables.

Overboard - over the side of the ship, as in man overboard.

P & Q

Parley - a parley, or parlay, be a conversation between opposin' sides to discuss a compromise on certain matters, and a halt to hostilities. 

Peg Leg - a nickname used from the 15th century for a mariner who had lost part of his leg and used a wooden substitute. Also the name of the wooden leg itself. Long John Silver of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island film is the most famous fictional example, but there were several real pirates with a wooden leg, most notably the Dutch captain, the rather splendidly named Cornelis Corneliszoon Jol (d. 1641).

Picaroon - from the Spanish word for rascal, it was applied to a form of verse about pirates that was satirical or humorous. A thief, outlaw, rogue.

Pieces o' eight: pieces o' silver which can be cut into eights to be givin' small change. Another name for the peso, a Spanish silver coin widely accepted as currency in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in the Americas, and which was worth eight silver reales. The figure ‘8’ stamped on these coins is the origin of the dollar ($) sign. Mariners sometimes cut the peso into eight pieces for smaller transactions and two of these pieces became known as "two bits", a term later used in US coinage.

Pier - a loading platform extending at an angle from the shore.

Pillage - this was the custom of pirates to take anything from a captured vessel which was not part of its recognized cargo (which would be shared as booty). Essentially, pillage was, unless stipulated in the ship’s articles, a free-for-all where passengers and anyone else aboard were relieved of their valuables such as rings, necklaces, and fine clothes. Generally, anything above decks was regarded as suitable for pillage.

Plate - meaning "silver", from the Spanish plata. It could refer to silver coins or ingots and under maritime law came to mean treasure of any kind.

Poop Deck - the deck that is the furthest and the highest back, usually above the Captain's quarters, NOT to be confused with the head! Port - the left side of a ship when looking forward. Also a place close to shore where ships can shelter from storms.

Ports or Portholes - the holes in a ship's sides through which cannons are fired.

Powder Monkey - a gunner's assistant.

Privateer: a pirate officially sanctioned by a national power to attack ships of other nations, and allowed to keep the booty they plunder. 

Pull Your Finger Out - an expression meaning to stop hesitating and start something, which comes from the habit of sailors putting their finger in the powder hole of a cannon until it is ready to fire.

Purchase - a slang term in use from the 13th century to refer to both the act of piracy (or theft in general) and the booty taken by pirates.

Prize - a vessel captured by buccaneers, privateers, and pirates, from the Latin pretium.

Quartermaster - distributed supplies, also in charge of all booty gained and distributed among the crew.

R & S

Rig - to put ropes in their proper places.

Rudder - a vertical plate or board used to steer a ship.

Rullock - the cutaway or notch on the side rail of the boat from which oars would pivot.

Rumfustian - raw eggs mixed with beer and liquor...NOT the breakfast of pirate champions.

“Safe sailin’ to ya” – used by sailors parting ways, this phrase wishes the person a safe and prosperous journey ahead.

Salmuagundi - 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.

Savvy - Do you Understand?

Scallywag - a bad person. A scoundrel.

Scurvy - a disease caused by insufficient ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, in the diet.

Scrum - a derogatory term used by pirates, name calling.

Scurvy dog! - a fine insult! Sometimes used in jest.

Scuttle - to intentionally sink a ship.

Seaworthy - in good enough condition to take a voyage, even in stormy weather.

See ya on the high seas! – A lighthearted and adventurous way to say goodbye, suggesting that you’ll meet again on the vast oceans.

Set Sail - to unfurl and open the sails to the wind.

Shipshape - arranged properly, things where they should be.

Shiver me timbers! - an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud. Also be a term akin to "Blow me down!", an expression of shock or disbelief, taken from the sound the ship made when 'shocked' by running aground or hit by a cannon blast.

Shoal - an area where the water is shallow in depth, due to a sand bar or bank.

Show a leg - get out of the hammock, or bed. Jump to it.

Smartly - to do something quickly.

Smooth sailin' - another pirate way of sayin' goodbye with well wishes.

Son of a Biscuit Eater - a derogatory term indicating the illegitimate son of a sailor.

Sounding - a measurement of the depth of the water.

Southern Cross - a constellation in the Southern Hemisphere that is used in navigation. Polaris is used in the northern Hemisphere, but is not visible south of the Equator.

Sprogs - raw, untrained recruits.

Squadron - a group of ten or less warships.

Squall - a sudden violent gust of wind, or a brief violent storm.

Square Rigged, or Brig rigged - Sailing vessel in which the main horizontal spars are perpendicular to the keel of the ship. These spars are called yardarms or simply yards. Square rig was the main design in the age of sail.

Squiffy - a buffoon.

Starboard - the right side of the ship when looking forward.

Stem - the forward most part of the bow, or the front.

Stern - the after part of the boat, or the back.

Stern Line - a docking line from the stern of the ship.

Stow - to put something in a certain place or position.

Stowaway - a person who sneaks on board a ship.

Stranded - condition when a ship is run aground and filled with water, unable to move.

Swab - a mop used for cleaning or drying the deck on a ship. The lowliest job aboard ship.

Swabbie - a sailor of low rank, a newbie unfit for any other job.

Swamped - to be filled with water, but not sunk.

Swashbucklin' - fightin' and carousin' on the high seas!

Swashbuckler - a daring adventurer, swaggering soldier.

Sweet trade - the career of piracy.

Swing the Lead - a lead weight swung from a line into water when near shore was a way to measure depth. The job's simple requirements caused the phrase to evolve into a term for slacking off.

T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

Tack - to take a course obliquely against the wind, to proceed at angles back and forth, into the wind.

Take a Caulk - the deck's gaps were sealed with oakum and tar, and napping on them would leave black lines on the clothes. Someone going to nap on deck could say they were going to "take a caulk."

Thar - the opposite of 'here.' Slang for 'there'.

Tide - the rising and falling of the sea twice in a lunar day due to the attraction of the moon, the inflow and outflow produced by this movement on the coast.

Tiller - a lever which the rudder is moved in the act of steering.

Timbers - the wooden framework of a ship.

Under Bare Poles - a ship without her sails set.

Underway - having begun to move through the water.

Unfurl - to open or spread out the sail to catch the wind.

Walk the plank - to be cast overboard.

a Watch - a period of time that a crew member would have to work.

Weigh Anchor - prepare to sail, let's go.

Wench - a woman or girl, usually used in a disparaging way.

Wi' a wannion - wi' a curse, or wi' a vengeance. Boldly, loudly!

Yo-ho-ho - pirate laughter