Wednesday, May 24, 2006

How to Speak Like a Pirate

In addition to plentiful cursin', exaggerations, blasphemies, fish tales, and e'en bad grammar, pirate talk in parts resembled readin' loudly from a nautical dictionary while garglin' with rum. So here is some rules, tips, and jargon that will help you sound like a pirate.

Startin' Rules
Double up on all your adjectives and you'll be bountifully bombastic with your phrasing. Pirates never speak of "a big ship", they call it a "great, grand ship!" They never say never, they say "No nay ne'er!"
Drop all your "g"'s when you speak and you'll get words like "rowin'", "sailin'" and "fightin'". Dropping all of your "v"'s will get you words like "ne'er", "e'er" and "o'er".
Instead of saying "I am", sailors say, "I be". Instead of saying "You are", sailors say, "You be". Instead of saying, "They are", sailors say, "They be". Ne'er speak in anythin' but the present tense!

Hints an' Tips
If it be helpin', start yer sentence wi' a "Arr, me hearty," in a deep, throaty voice — ye'll find that the rest be comin' much easier.

Jargon
Ahoy: Hey!
All Hands Hoay!: "All Hands on Deck!", everyone on the ship called to the deck, usually for action.
Arse: behind; fanny.
Avast: Stop!
Aye: Yes
Black spot: to be 'placin' the black spot' be markin' someone for death.
Booty: treasure
Buccanneer: a pirate who be answerin' to no man or blasted government.
By the Powers!: an exclamation, uttered by Long John Silver in Treasure Island!
Cat o' nine tails: whip for floggin' mutineers
Corsair: a pirate who be makin' his berth in the Med-...Medi-...that sea 'tween Spain and Africa, aye!
Dance the Hempen Jig: To hang, (rope was often made of hemp fibers)
Davy Jones' Locker: the bottom o' the sea, where the souls of dead men lie
Dead Lights: eyes.
Dead Men: empty bottles.
Doubloons: pieces of gold
Dungbie: rear end
Fiddlers Green: the private heaven where pirates be goin' when they die.
Furner: a ship which be yer own, not one ye steal an' plunder.
Gentlemen o' fortune: a slightly more positive term fer pirates!
Go on the account: to embark on a piratical cruise
Grog: A pirate's favorite drink.
Hempen Halter: The hangman's noose.
Hornswaggle: To cheat or defraud, often of money or belongings, Yosemite Sam knows a lot about it
Jack: a flag or a sailor
Jolly Roger: the skull and crossbones, the pirate flag!
Keelhaul: a truly vicious punishment where a scurvy dog be tied to a rope and dragged along the barnacle-encrusted bottom of a ship. They not be survivin' this.
Landlubber: "Land-lover," someone not used to life onboard a ship.
Lass: A woman.
Lily-livered: faint o' heart
Loaded to the Gunwales (pron. gunnels): drunk
Matey: A shipmate or a friend.
Me hearty: a friend or shipmate.
Me: My.
Pieces o' eight: pieces o' silver which can be cut into eights to be givin' small change.
Pipe down!: Shut up!
Privateer: a pirate officially sanctioned by a national power
Savvy: to understand; comprehend.
Scallywag: A bad person. A scoundrel.
Scurvy dog!: a fine insult!
Shiver me timbers!: an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud.
Son of a Biscuit Eater: a derogatory term indicating a bastard son of a sailor
Sprogs: raw, untrained recruits
Squadron: a group of ten or less warships
Squiffy: a buffoon
Swaggy: a scurvy cur's ship what ye be intendin' to loot!
Swashbucklin': fightin' and carousin' on the high seas!
Sweet trade: the career of piracy
Thar: The opposite of "here."
Walk the plank: this one be bloody obvious.
Wench: a lady, although ye gents not be wantin' to use this around a lady who be stronger than ye.
Wi' a wannion: wi' a curse, or wi' a vengeance. Boldly, loudly!
Yo-ho-ho: Pirate laughter

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Mandy,

You had better enjoy these last weeks because this is quite an experience! I enjoyed your pirate talk. Hope you had fun.

Today is my first day out of school and I have enjoyed it! Tomorrow I need to mow. Friday I'm going with Aunt Jo and family to Uncle Don's and the lake. They are going on to Silver Dollar City and Branson, but I'm staying at the lake.

Your pictures are all so beautiful. It's like a dream.

See you soon!

Love, Nan