This document defines 52 terms used in pirate vocabulary: 1) Common words and phrases used by pirates included "aye" for yes, "booty" for treasure, and "bucko" for friend. 2) Nautical terms involved parts of ships like the "crow's nest" and weapons such as the "cutlass." 3) Pirate slang referenced drunkenness with terms like "loaded to the gunwalls" and punishments through "walking the plank."

1. Vocabulary of Pirate terms.
1. Aye: Yes.
2. Booty: Treasure.
3. Bucko: friend.
4. Case shot: A collectionof small projectilesputincasestofire froma cannon. A canister-
shot.
5. Clap of thunder: A strong,alcoholicdrink.
6. Code of conduct: A setof ruleswhichgovernPirates’ behaviourona vessel.
7. Crow’s nest: A small platform, sometimesenclosed,nearthe topof a mast, where a
lookoutcouldhave a betterview whenwatchingforsailsorforland.
8. Cutlass: A short,heavyswordwitha curvedblade usedbypiratesandsailors.The
swordhas onlyone cuttingedge andmay or may nothave a useful point.
9. deadlights: 1)eyes. 2)thickwindowssetina ship’sside ordeck. 3)strongshuttersor
platesfastenedoveraship’sportholeorcabinwindow instormyweather.
10. Dead men tell no tales…: Standardpirate excuse forleavingnosurvivors.
11. Fetch: bring
12. Fire in the hole: A warningissuedbefore acannon isfired.
13. Galleon: A large three mastedsailingshipwithasquare rigand usuallytwoor more
decks,usedtothe 15th
to the 17th
centuryespeciallybySpainasamerchant shipor warship.
14. Go on account: A pleasanttermsusedbypiratestodescribe the act of turningpirate.The
basicideawas that a pirate wasmore “free lance”,and thuswas,more or less,goinginto
businessforhimself.
15. Grog blossom: rednessonthe nose orface of personswhodrinkardentspiritstoexcess.
16. Hatch: The openingwhere the ladderstothe lowerdecksare.
17. Ho!: Usedto expresssurprise orjoy,toattract attentiontosomethingsighted,or
to urge onwardas inLand ho!Or Westwardho!
18. Jack tar or tar: A sailor.
19. Lay rough: Whena seamansleptonthe deckinsteadof a hammock or bed.
20. Loaded to the gunwalls: to be drunk.
21. Loot: stolengoods,money.
22. Mast: These were upright beamswhichsailswere suspendedfrom.
23. Me: My.
24. Mutineers/mutiny: To rise againstauthority,especiallythe Captainof aship.
25. Peer: colleague.
26. Pegleg: This wasa nickname givenbypirate tothose whohadreplacedaletwitha
woodenprosthetic.The Spanishname isPie de Palo,the DutchisHoutebeen.Twoof the best
knownPeglegpirateswere Francoisle ClercandCornelisJol.
27. Porthole:

2. 28. Quartermaster: The officerwhorepresented the crew inall issuesaboardship.He wasin-
charge foodandsupplies,divisionof the booty,anddistributedthe punishmenttothe guilty.
29. Reefsails: To shortenthe sailsbypartiallytyingthemup,eithertoslow the shiporto
keepa strongwindfromputtingtoomuch strainon the masts.
30. Rum punch: A drinkconsistingof rum, lime juice andsugar.The recipe consistedof one
of sour,twoof sweet,three of strong,fourof weak(ice)
31. Run a rig: to playa trick.
32. Rutters: Detailedinstructionslistingall thatisknownabouta place or a rout.
33. Salmagundi salad: A saladusuallyconsistingof choppedmeat,anchovies,eggs,andonions,
oftenarrangedinrowson lettuce andservedwithvinegarandoil.
34. Shiverme timbers!: Anexpressionof surpriseorstrongemotion.
35. Silk sling: A ribbonthat heldthe pistol fromapirate’sneck.
36. Sink me! An expressionof surprise.
37. Sloop: A single-mastedfore andaftriggedsailingboatwithashort standing
bowspritornone at all and a single headsail setfromthe forestay.Thisboatwasmuchfavoured
by the piratesbecause of itsshallow draughtandmaneuverability.
38. Stern lights: The ship’swindowsinthe stern.
39. Spyglass: A telescope.
40. Swab: 1) to clean,specificallythe deckof aship 2) A disrespectful termfora
seaman.Eg. “ Man that gun,ye cowardlyswabs!”
41. Swabber: 1) unhandyseaman,fitonlytocleanthe ship.
42. Sweettrade: The career of piracy.
43. Swing the lead: The leadwas a weightatthe bottomof a line thatgave sailorsaway to
measure depthwhennearland. Toswingthe leadwasconsideredasimple job,andthuscame
to representone whoisavoidingworkortakingthe easyworkoverthe hard. In today’sterms,
one whoswingsthe leadisa slacker.
44. Take a caulk: To take a nap.
45. Topman: sailorincharge of the topsails.
46. ‘tweendeck’sladder: the laddersthatleadon the lowerdecks.
47. Walk the plank: Perhapsmore famousthanhistoricallypractised,walkingthe plunkisthe
act of beingforcedoff a shipbypiratesas punishmentortorture.The victim, usuallyblindfolded
or withboundhandsor both,is forcedto walkalonga planklaidoverthe ship’s side andfall into
the waterbelow. The conceptfirstappearedin19th
centuryfiction,longafterthe greatdays of
piracy.Historysuggeststhatthismighthave happenedonce thatcan be vaguelydocumented,
but itis etchedinthe image of the piratesforits dastardlycontent.
48. wench: A youngwomanor peasantgirl,sometimesaprostitute.
49. Ye: You
50. Ye scurvy dogs!: You scurvydogs.A pirate phrase that wasusedespeciallyforthe sailors
whowere sufferingfromthe illness.
51. Yer: Your.
52. Yo-ho-ho! An exclamationassociatedwithpirates.