How to Be a Pirate - Promise Publishing

Pirate Dictionary
Ahoy!—a call used in hailing, “Hello!”
Arrr!—is a multi-purpose word that can
mean many different things depending
on the tone with which it is spoken and
the length of duration of the utterance. It
can mean: "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I’m
upset," "I’m thinking," "Are you scared yet?"
and "That was a clever remark you or I just
made."
Avast!—halt, cease, derived from "hold fast."
This word, like many pirate words, has multiple meanings, so it can also can be used in
place of, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" "Check it
out," "No way!"
Aye!—“Yes!”
Aye aye!—“I understand what you said, and
I will carry out your order!”
Be—“Am, is, are." As in "I (or Me) be goin' t'
search for treasure, he be goin' t' search for
treasure, and they be goin' t' search for treasure." This will also avoid confusion between
"are" and "arrr."
Bilge rat— pirate insult. The bilge is the lowest level of the ship. It’s loaded with ballast
and slimy, reeking water. A bilge rat, then, is
a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship.
Bunkum—nonsense, foolish ideas
Colors—The Pirate flag, with many variations. Designed to strike terror into the
hearts of all other sailors on the high seas
Days of Yore—a long time ago, olden times
Doubloon—an old gold coin
Fair Winds—farewell, good bye, good fortune to you
Hoist the Colors!—to raise the Pirate flag before
attacking.
Hearties— vigorously cheerful and brave person,
shipmates or friends.
Hornswaggle—to cheat
Lass—young woman
Lad—boy or young man
Lubber—(or land lubber) clumsy, no sea legs, a person
who would rather be on land than sea, an insult
Matey—shipmates or friends
Me—used instead of “my”
Savvy—know or understand. As in, “Savvy?” meaning “Do
you understand?”
Scurvy—disease caused by Vitamin C deficiency that
used to bedevil buccaneers in days of yore. Calling someone a “scurvy bilge rat” is even worse than calling him a
plain old “bilge rat.”
Scurvy Dog—pirate insult
Sea Legs—a sailors ability to keep their balance on the
heaving deck of a ship
Shiver me timbers!—“Well, I’ll be” or “Is that so?” Originating from when a cannon ball hits a ship and the
planking shatters into splinters or waves pound the ship
so hard as to make the boards shake.
Sink me!—What a surprise!
Smartly—Do something quickly. “Smartly, me hearties,”
you might say when ordering your crew to hoist anchor.
Ye, Yer—used instead of you, your
How to Be
a Pirate
1. Pick your pirate name.
2. Dress like a pirate.
3. Learn how to talk like a pirate.
Permission to reproduce for ministry use only—not for resale. © 2016 Promise Publishing
How to Choose Your Pirate Name
Why should you pick a pirate name?
Because it’s fun! Plus, it’s kind of hard
to strike fear into the hearts of your
crew with a name like Francis Drake.
Unless, of course, you are THE Francis
Drake, in which case, we are totally
afraid of you. Sir. No offense.
Some people like to create pirate
names that reflect something personal
about them. It could be a word that
describes their personality like Red for
someone who has red hair or Warbler
for someone who likes to sing.
Or you could just put together words
that sounds fun together, like The
Admirable Admiral or the Elegant
Eyebrow. You can use a combination
of words such as colors, creatures,
flowers, or any fun adjective and
noun. You could be the Capricious
Kookaberra, Crazy Legs Culpepper,
or Scabby Knee-cap. You are limited
only by your own imagination…and
your own vocabulary. Please don’t
disgrace us by choosing a name like
Two Blue Eyes or Short John Brown.
You can do better than that.
How to Dress Like a Pirate
Other Helpful Pirating Tips
For a simple pirate, a simple costume should suffice. You
could wear a loose, white shirt with a vest, dark pants,
boots, and a sash tied around your waist. A bandana tied
around your head or a plain tricorne hat will do just fine.
1. You should have a pet. Most pirates go for
a nice parrot or a monkey. If you want to be a
truly dangerous pirate, you might try training a
shark or crocodile to swim alongside your ship.
This could have dangerous consequences, such
as missing limbs and deserting crew. You might
want to start with a grumpy goldfish or an
ill-tempered eel.
Now if you want to be a captain, simple should be nowhere
in your vocabulary! You should be dressed in the brightest,
most outlandish costume you can manage: colorful
striped pants, fancy coat, ruffled shirt. And definitely a
hat, the more outrageous the better. You should have an
extensive hat collection, of all shapes and sizes to choose
from if you can.
outrageous hat!
2. If you choose to wear an eye patch to give
your look a little extra pizazz, remember which
eye you started wearing it on. Be consistent!
3. Wear as much of your pirate booty as possible. Rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or
even a crown. The more treasure you wear, the
more successful you will look.
4. Be sure to swagger. Pirates live their lives on
the swaying decks of ships. Even when you are
on land, walk as though you are feeling the
swaying deck beneath your feet.
5. Remember, when in doubt:
ruffled shirt
fancy coat
colorful striped pants
Scowl and Growl
If you are having trouble learning all of the
pirate lingo, frown and growl unintelligible
phrases. Rely on a few key phrases. “Arrrr!”
“Shiver me timbers!” “Scurvy dogs!”
Permission to reproduce for ministry use only—not for resale. © 2016 Promise Publishing