Aside from their larcenous ways and general villainy, pirates are perhaps best known for their colorful vocabulary. Phrases such as Shiver me timbers ,Avast ye!, Dead men tell no tales, and Davy Jones' Locker are typically associated with pirates. So did average pirates really skulk about yelling “Arrrgh” and calling each other bilge rats? No one knows for sure, but it's fair to say that these are just a few of the many phrases that legendary pirates and everyday culture have adopted. Real pirates spoke just as other individuals did during various eras. Medieval vocabulary differs from that of the ancients or those who lived during the Dark Ages or during piracy's Golden Age. In general, almost all pirates were fluent in maritime language.

Come Hell or High Water

The majority of the terminology pirates used was vernacular specific to ships, sailing, equipment, and onboard routines. Sailors were often referred to as tars, or Jack tar, and comrades often referred to each other as mate or matey. (The actual job of mate included overseeing the sailors aboard a ship, organizing work, and making sure orders were carried out.) Pirate crews often held the same positions one would find aboard naval vessels — captain, quartermaster, first mate, lieutenant, navigator, and so forth (see Chapter 9), so in many regards the vocabulary heard onboard a ship was universal. For example, the term fire in the hole, which indicated that a cannon was about to be fired, is still a common military term.

A few recognizable modern-day sailing terms that pirates used include:

Cut and run: If a pirate needed to make a hasty retreat, he would cut the sail lashings or anchor cables, which would enable his ship to escape. This would often damage the sails, but if it was an emergency it might be his only choice.

Hit the deck: A phrase still commonly used when firepower is imminent. This was especially crucial for pirates, given that they typically fought in cramped areas. This meant avoiding swivel guns, small cannon at the rail of a ship, or artillery coming from an opponent.

In the same boat: When out to sea, there was no easy return for a pirate who fancied land over the open ocean. Therefore, all pirates were in the same boat and situations together. The phrase is often interchangeable with grin and bear it.

Know the ropes: The process of sailing a ship involves the use of hundreds of ropes and their configurations. Experienced sailors know how all the ropes and riggings work. Inexperienced sailors don't yet know the ropes.

Landlubber: The word lubber refers to an awkward or clumsy individual. A sailor who is just getting his sea legs or people who don't sail are often referred to as landlubbers.

Rub salt into the wound: A process that would occur after a man had been flogged. As additional punishment, salt would be rubbed into the wound.

Square meal: Often used in the present day, a square meal was a big deal to pirates who literally ate their meals off square platters made of wood. If they were lucky, they could eat a proper meal that filled the plate, which would later be turned over to accommodate dessert if it was available. It's said that fair and square also originated from the platters, meaning that each sailor received his fair share of sustenance.

Stay the course: A commonly heard term meaning that if a ship travels in the right direction it will ultimately arrive at its final destination.

Holy Mackerel!

Piratespeak contained many phrases that are still used today, although in some cases the meanings may be slightly different. Pirates in general used rough language, and swearing was the mainstay of many a crew-member. A study of pirate vocabulary, however, is a fantastic and amusing journey through pages of colorful prose. Many phrases typically in use in the present day were pirate favorites. These include chew the fat, clear the decks, miss the boat, and even minding your Ps and Qs, which refers to a pirate's bar tab. Given that pirates visiting taverns swilled their ale in pints and quarts, it was to their benefit to keep close count of their Ps and Qs, lest the barkeep cheat by adding additional drinks to the pirate's ongoing bill.

Other commonly recognized pirate phrases include:

Bite the bullet: Often depicted in film, the process of biting a bullet was used when pirates or captives were being flogged by the cat o' nine tails. Biting a bullet would presumably keep them from screaming.

Holy mackerel!: A common phrase now often used as exclamations of surprise such as “holy cow!” and “holy smoke!” During the seventeenth century, mackerel was in abundance, but once caught it went bad quickly. Because of this, exceptions were made so that merchants could sell them on Sunday despite it being a holy day.

Let the cat out of the bag: In modern vernacular, “letting the cat out of the bag” is akin to divulging a secret. In pirate times, however, it was something to be feared. Cat o' nine tails were kept in leather bags. Pirates or captives guilty of an offense would be secured to an inanimate object, and the cat o' nine tails would be removed from the bag. A sailor's imminent punishment at that point was no longer a secret.

Loose cannon: These days, a loose cannon is usually someone of independent nature who causes potential damage. Aboard a pirate ship, a loose cannon literally meant an unsecured cannon. During storms or other catastrophic events, a loose cannon that moved about could prove lethal to a ship and its crew.

On an even keel: An even keel denotes steadiness in present day terminology — a person or project, for example, that is steady and on course toward a goal. For pirates, an even keel meant much the same as it applied to their ship. A vessel on an even keel was sailing steady without any disaster or threat of “keeling over.”

Over a barrel: Having someone over a barrel is commonly used today, but it wasn't a happy phrase for pirates, as it applied to flogging. Offenders were typically tied to inanimate objects prior to their whipping, and that often meant being tied to the gun barrel of the ship. To kiss, hug, or marry the “gunner's daughter” also indicated a whipping.

Scraping the bottom of the barrel: The excess grease that resulted from frying salt pork aboard ship was added to what was called a slush fund. Pirate cooks scraped the perennial bottom of the barrel to retrieve the grease that was ultimately sold for use in candlemaking or tanning.

Under the weather: A modern phrase meaning that someone is feeling sick, under the weather could also have applied to pirates who were manning the bow of the ship keeping watch on the weather. This meant standing amid a constant barrage of spray, waves, and heavy rains.

Piratespeak is something that became further embellished through literature and most certainly as a result of motion pictures. Published accounts of piracy have shown that pirates spoke in similar fashion to sailors of their day. Novels and films have definitely made use of maritime phraseology, but they've also added a lexicon of colorful terms that will forever be associated with the fictional pirates or actors who said them. The next chapter explores those works, and the impact that literary and celluloid piracy has had on the public's imagination.