The Pirate Ship
Pirate Dictionary (A-J)
A to J
A
Able Seaman
– A capable and good sailor.
Addled
– Crazy, not thinking straight or just plain silly.
Addlepate
– A fool, somebody who is always silly.
Adrift
– Floating free, without being steered or with anyone in charge.
Afeard
– Afraid.
Aft
– The back of the ship.
Ahoy!–‘Hello!'
Aloft – Up high, often refers to ship’s masts and rigging.
Ambush
– A surprise attack.
Arr
– Something like 'Yes', 'That’s great' or 'I agree'.
Articles
– The rules a pirate must follow while on a ship.
Avast!
– ‘Stop that now!’ or ‘Who’s there?’
Aye
– ‘Yes, definitely.’
Aye Aye
– ‘Of course, I’ll do that now.’
B
Ballast
– The weight used to keep a ship steady and upright.
Barbary Coast
– Mediterranean coast off of North Africa.
Barnacle
– A kind of shellfish which can stick to the hull (bottom) of a ship. They cause the ship to go slower if not scraped off regularly.
Batten down the hatches
– Prepare for a storm.
Be
– Use instead of ‘am’, ‘are’ or ‘is’.
Becalmed
– When a ship can’t move because there’s no wind to fill the sails.
Begad!
– ‘By God!’
Belay
– ‘Stop that, now!’
Bilboes
– Leg irons attached to the deck of a ship.
Bilge
– The dirtiest, smelliest and lowest part of a ship, or to talk rubbish.
Bilge rat
– A rat that lives in the dirtiest, smelliest and lowest part of a ship. This is not a nice name to call somebody.
Bilgewater
– The icky, revolting, disgusting water that covers the bilge floor.
Black Spotted
– A person/animal that has had a curse put on them or is sentenced to death.
Blaggard
– A man who lies and who you can’t trust.
Blimey
– ‘Wow.’
Booty
– Riches that have usually been stolen.
Bosun
– The officer on the ship in charge of deck crew, rigging and anchors, also called a ‘boatswain’.
Bounty
– A reward, usually paid by the Government for the capture of a criminal.
Bow
- The front (pointy end) of a ship.
Broadside
– Next to another ship, side by side, with the long sides of the ships facing.
Buccanneer
– Pirates, usually from Hispaniola, who attacked Spanish ships in the Caribbean.
Bucko
– Friend
C
Cabin
– A pirate’s room on a ship.
Cable
– A heavy rope.
Cackle fruit
– Chicken eggs.
Captain
- The person in charge of the ship.
Cap’n
– Short for ‘Captain’.
Careen
– To clean the hull of a ship.
Careening
– Scraping off all the dirt and barnacles that have become stuck to the bottom of a ship so that it sails faster.
Cargo -The goods carried by a ship.
Caulking- Waterproofing the hull by putting a layer of tar over holes and seams when careening the ship.
Cask
– A barrel used to hold liquids, foods, gun powder and other things that need to stay dry.
Cast-away
– A person who has been shipwrecked.
Cat’o’nine tails
– A whip made up of nine knotted ropes and used as punishment.
Chantey
– The songs pirates sing while they are working. (Also spelt ‘shantey’ or ‘shanty’.)
Chart
– Map
Code of Conduct
- The rules all crew members must follow.
Compass
– A magnetic needle that spins freely in a casing to point out which way is north, south, east or west, and all directions in between.
Contraband
– Goods that are smuggled illegally.
Convoy
– A group of ships traveling together.
Corsair
– Pirates in the Mediterranean.
Cot
– A wooden bed, hung from rafters, that is more comfortable than a hammock.
Crow’s Nest
– A lookout point at the top of the highest mast of a ship.
Cutlass
– A curved sword, often used by sailors.
D
Davy Jones Locker
– The bottom of the ocean.
Deadlights
– Eyes.
Deck
– The highest floor on a ship.
Deckhand
– A person working on a ship, sometimes shortened to ‘hand’.
Dog
– A name you might call a friend if you want to insult them (nicely).
Doubloon
– An old Spainish gold coin.
F
Fair Winds
– ‘Good Luck.’
Fathom
- A length of 6ft (1.8m ish). Is often the distance from fingertip to fingertip when men stretch their arms out sideways.
Flog
– To whip.
Fore
– Short for ‘forward’.
Foremast
- The mast at the front of a ship.
Furl
– To roll up and tie in place, often done to sails.
G
Galleon
– A large, squarish ship used in war or to carry cargo.
Galley
- A small, single masted ship with oars.
Gangplank
– A plank of wood put on the side of a ship and rested on land, so that people can get on and off the ship.
Gangway
– ‘Clear a path.’
God’s speed
– What you might say when somebody leaves, meaning ‘Travel safe’ or ‘Good luck’.
Grog
– Rum mixed with water or any kind of alcohol.
Grub
– Food
H
Hail
– To call to another ship.
Hammock
– A large piece of material hung from the rafters that a crew member sleeps in.
Hands
– Crewmen.
Haven
– A safe place.
Head
– The toilet on a ship.
Heave to
– To change the direction of the ship so it's facing forwards into the wind.
Hold
– The space in a ship where cargo or prisoners were kept.
Hornpipe
– A dance or a single reeded musical instrument.
Hornswaggle
– To cheat.
Hornswaggler
– A person who cheats.
Hulk
– The old, dismantled body of a ship, sometimes used as prisons.
Hull
– The body of a ship, not including the masts and rigging.
I
Irons
– Leg irons attached to the deck of a ship (also called ‘bilboes’).
J
Jack Tar
– Sailor
Jolly Roger
– The pirate flag - a white skull and crossbones on a black background.
