Note: Pirate's Slang
Account: The act of piracy. A pirate is said to be, “On the Account.”
Aft: The rear (stern) of a ship.
Amidships: The ship’s center.
Ballast: Weight placed in the lower middle of a ship to help keep it steady in water.
Belay: An order to halt an activity.
Bilge: The broadest part of the hold at the bottom of a ship. Pumps are often placed here to evacuate water from leaky vessels.
Bow: The front of a ship.
Bowsprit: The beam that extends out from the front of the ship.
Buccaneer: Originally a term for those who cooked meat with “barbecues” (called “boucans”), given to European settlers of the Caribbean by Arawak Indians. Eventually, pirates of the Caribbean region became known as buccaneers.
Bulwark: The “rim” of the ship that runs around the top of the upper deck.
Capstan: A large wheel around which is wound the anchor chain.
Careen: Beaching a ship so barnacles and marine pests, such as worms, can be removed.
Corsairs: Privateers operating in the Mediterranean. Most were French or Turkish, though the Knights of Malta were also notorious for attacking Moslem ships (and vice versa), and thus became known as corsairs as well.
Crow’s Nest: A lookout “basket” high atop the main mast.
Forecastle: The raised platform at the front of the ship designed to provide a high fighting platform during close quarters.
Hold: The large space in the center of the ship used for storing cargo.
Hornswaggled: To cheat.
Keel: The central bottom beam that forms the “spine” of a wooden ship.
Knot: A measurement of ship’s speed. One knot is equal to one nautical mile an hour.
Main (Yard): The crossbeam from which a ship’s main sail hangs.
Marooning: The act of deliberately leaving a person on a deserted island. Victims were usually given a pistol and a single shot so they could end their misery quickly.
Mast: One of the towering poles upon which the ship’s sails hang. The large one in the central is the mainmast, the rear-most is the mizzen.
Native: A person born in the Caribbean Usually these are Indians, though some second generation Europeans are beginning to use the term for themselves.
Poop Deck: The rear raised area of a ship designed to provide an elevated fighting platform during boarding actions or close combat. Also called the sterncastle.
Port: The left-hand side of a ship as it faces forward.
Privateer: Officially, privateers were captains given official (royal) “letters of marque” to attack nations currently at war with the home government. Many privateers exploited their commission and attacked whatever targets they could find, exploiting loopholes or outright lying to capture foreign prize ships.
Prize Ship: A captured ship. A ship loaded with treasure could provide booty for entire crews to retire for life—but amazingly most squandered their ill-gotten gains on wine and women in only a few short weeks.
Rigging: The various ropes used to operate and secure the various sails and masts.
Run a Shot Across the Bow: Order to firea warning shot, but not to strike the enemy.
Spritsail: A small sail sometimes attached to the bowsprit.
Starboard: The right-hand side of a ship as it faces forward.
Stem: The thin forward area of the ship that parts the water before it.
Sterncastle: See Poop Deck.
Striking the Colors: Lowering of a flag.
Walk the Plank: Making a bound prisoner walk off the edge of the ship. Not used historically, but a staple of pirate fiction.
Whipstaff: A long stick used to steer before the addition of captain’s wheels.
Yard: A pole from which sails are hung.
HONOR'S AMONG THIEFS
End Your Quarrels on Shore: Whatever disagreements one sailor has with another, onboard a ship is not the place to settle them, for everyone’s survival depends on the crew working together. If one member of the crew has a disagreement with another, the place to settle it is on shore—whether this is a port or just a sandy beach.
Thirty Stripes Lacking One: The traditional punishment for a serious infraction on the ship is thirty lashes on the bare back. The captain or boatswain, however, may choose to reserve the last (30th) lash as an act of mercy if the target is repentant or unconscious. Still, the captain always has the option to make that last strike at any time—a threat to ensure better behavior from the target. Usually this “lash debt” is canceled once the ship makes port, and always if the target leaves the crew.
Truce Ends at the Horizon: While pirates recognize the need for parley, any truce is only valid until the opposing ship is past the horizon. This gives the weaker captain a head start should he fear the other captain’s intentions. Breaking this part of the code is seen as not only unsportsmanlike, but a threat to all pirates.