So ye’ve heard the tales o’ the wicked holiday Talk Like a Pirate Day, ‘ave ye? ‘n now ye’re lookin’ fer the booty, the facts, the quotes, anythin’ ‘n everythin’ t’ do wit’ ole pirates?
You’ve come to the right ship then, Scallywag! Not only will we let you in on some neat facts about Talk Like a Pirate Day and when it’s celebrated, but we’ve got wicked awesome pirate lingo, pirate quotes, and more to make your Talk Like a Pirate Day the BEST! And for MORE obscure holiday festivities, explore the depths of CardSayings.net.
Wha’re ye waitin’ fer, Buccaneer? It’s time t’ celebrate ‘n get this ole pirate party started!
In this article
When Is International Talk Like A Pirate Day?
Did you know that Talk Like a Pirate Day is an International holiday? Isn’t that crazy in the goofiest and most awesome way?! If you think about it, that’s probably one of the most wholesome and silliest things we have marked on the calendar. But when is Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Talk Like a Pirate Day is celebrated annually on September 19th. So be sure to mark those calendars every year for one of the best days ever! Scooch over Christmas; you’ve got some competition. (We’re semi-kidding, we love you and your cookies, Christmas)
There must be a reason out of 365 that September 19th was chosen for Talk Like a Pirate Day, and who founded this holiday? Let’s mosey on over to the next section to find out!
Why is Sept 19 Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Be prepared for a chuckle followed by an ‘Oh my God, really?‘ because this origin story makes Talk Like a Pirate Day an even GREATER holiday.
The founders of Talk Like a Pirate Day are old mateys John Baur and Mark Summers. According to the Talk Like a Pirate Day Wikipedia page, the year was 1995, and these pals were in the midst of a racquetball game when one of the players got hurt and exclaimed that classic Pirate howl Aaarrr! And what started as an inside joke slowly but surely became an International holiday.
Could you imagine if you and your best friend created a holiday out of sheer humor and suddenly, over the years, people actually started to celebrate it? It’s even celebrated in the video game The Sims 4! Now that’s some #SuperBestFriendGoals
How to Talk Pirate on Talk Like A Pirate Day
Now that you know when this hearty day goes down, how in the heck do you start talking like a Pirate? What does that even mean?
You could sit down and binge-watch The Pirates of the Caribean series (not a bad idea), but we’ll also lend you a hook and provide you with some top-notch pirate words, sayings, and even a bonus resource that we’re excited to share with you. Let’s boogey, matey!
Below deck, we’ll show you some rad Pirate words with their definitions, provided to you by A Pirate’s Glossary.com And keep on reading for more Pirate sayings and a cool secret literary weapon.
- AHOY – “An interjection used to hail a ship or a person, or to attract attention.”
- ARR – “Exclamation.”
- AYE – “Yes; an affirmation.”
- BLIMEY – “An explanation of surprise.”
- BLOW THE MAN DOWN – “To end someone.”
- CODE OF CONDUCT – “A set of rules which govern pirates behavior on a vessel.”
- CRACK JENNY’S TEA CUP – “Spending the night in a place of ill repute.”
- DANCE THE HEMPEN JIG – “To hang.”
- DAVY JONES’ LOCKER – “A fictional place at the bottom of the ocean. In short, a term meaning death.”
- DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES – “An old saying Pirates use as their reasoning for leaving no survivors.”
- FIRE IN THE HOLE – “A warning before a cannon is fired.”
- HANDSOMELY – “Quickly or carefully.”
- HAUL WIND – “To direct a ship into the wind.”
- HEAVE DOWN – “To turn a vessel on its side for cleaning.”
- HEAVE – “Coming to a halt.”
- HO – “Used to express surprise or joy, to attract attention to something sighted, or to urge onward.”
- LETTER OF MARQUE – “A document given to a sailor (privateer) giving him amnesty from piracy laws as long as the ships plunders are of an enemy nation.”
- MAROONED – “Stranded.”
- ME – “Equivalent to My.”
- NO PREY, NO PAY – “A common pirate law meaning a crew received no wages, but rather shared whatever loot was taken.”
- PARLEY – “A conference or discussion between opposing sides during a dispute, especially when attempting a truce, originating from the French, “parler,” meaning “to speak.”
- PIRACY – “Robbery committed at sea.”
- QUARTER – “Derived from the idea of “shelter”, quarter is given when mercy is offered by pirates. Quarter is often the prize given to an honorable loser in a pirate fight.”
- SAIL HO! – “An exclamation meaning another ship is in view.”
- SCUPPER THAT! – “An expression of anger or derision meaning “Throw that overboard!”
- SEA LEGS – “The ability to adjust one’s balance to the motion of a ship, especially in rough seas.”
- SHIVER ME TIMBERS – “An expression of surprise or strong emotion.”
- SHOW A LEG! – “A phrase used to wake up a sleeping pirate.”
- SINK ME! – “An expression of surprise.”
- SMARTLY – “Quickly.”
- TAKE A CAULK – “To take a nap.”
- TO GO ON ACCOUNT – “A pleasant term used by pirates to describe the act of turning pirate. The basic idea was that a pirate was more “freelance” and thus was, more or less, going into business for himself.”
- WEIGH ANCHOR – “To haul the anchor up; more generally, to leave port.”
- YE – “Equivalent to You.”
A big ole thank ye to our mates at Pirate’s Glossary.com! And now for some classic Pirate talk that you can shout out during your Talk Like a Pirate Day festivities!
- Ahoy, Me Hearties!
- Son of a Biscuit Eater
- Avast ye!
- Blimey!
- Blow me down!
- Show me the booty, matey
- Weigh Anchor and Hoist the Mizzen!
- Fire in the hole!
- Thar She Blows!
- Ye be going to Davy Jones’ Locker!
- Heave ho!
- Shiver me timbers!
- Sink me!
- Ye be feeding the fish
- Splice the mainbrace!
- Walk the plank
- Ye seadog
- All Hand Hoy!
- Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
- Watch ye self, Bucko
Hungry for more Pirate talk? Come up with your own lingo and sayings by using this handy-dandy Pirate Translator! Type in what you want to say, hit the button, and see the Pirate translation at the bottom!
Famous Pirates to Dress Up As
Of course, we all LOVE Captain Jack Sparrow, but here is a list of real-life pirates that sailed the seas and saw some remarkable, and probably horrifying, things. But dead men tell no tales, right?
Whether you choose a pirate and dress up as them for Talk Like a Pirate Day or you dive in and do a little research of your own, we highly encourage you to look some of these seadogs up because there’s some very interesting history here!
- Anne Bonny
- Blackbeard
- Mary Read
- Bartholomew Roberts
- Henry Jennings.
- Calico Jack
- William Kidd
- Henry Morgan
- Francis Drake
- Grace O’Malley
- Black Bart Roberts
- Zheng Yi Sao
- Charles Vane
- Samuel Bellamy
Pirate Quotes for Talk Like a Pirate Day Posts
You can make some pretty snazzy and piratey status’ and captions with the Pirate Translator, or you can use one of the quotes we’ve pulled up that we think would fit perfectly for some Talk Like a Pirate festivities, photo shoots, and silly posts.
- “She is the pirate.” – Anonymous
- “It is a blessing for a man to have a hand in determining his own fate.” – Blackbeard
- “It’s funny that pirates were always going around searching for treasure, and they never realized that the real treasure was the fond memories they were creating.” – Jack Handey
- “Dance with the waves, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.” – Unknown
- “You got the makings of greatness in you, but you got to take the helm and chart your own course!” – Treasure Planet
- “A ship at harbor is safe. But that’s not what ships are for.” – Anonymous
- “For certain, you have to be lost to find a place that can’t be found. Else ways, everyone would know where it was.” – Pirates of the Caribbean
- “A smooth sea never made a skilled pirate.” – Anonymous
- “Aye, tough mermaids are, the lot of them.” – Blackbeard
- “Fate has brought us together again. Well, actually, buried treasure and pirates brought us together.” – Muppet Treasure Island
- “Sailors tell stories, Pirates make legends!” – Anonymous
- “I am a man of fortune and must seek my fortune.” – Captain Henry Avery
- “A pirate’s life for me!” – Anonymous
- “Under the leadership of a man you have all chosen to flee. We shall see how you prove yourselves under the hand of a woman.” – Madame Ching
- “The truth is far too much fun.” – Hook
- “If there’s a man among ye, ye’ll come up and fight like the man ye are to be!” – Mary Read
- “Pirates will be pirates.” – Anonymous
- “People are what are scary–people.” – Blackbeard
‘ave ye enjoyed yer time learnin’ about Talk Like a Pirate Day thar, scallywag? We sure hope ye’ll come aboard ‘n join us again fer more obscure holidays, quotes, ‘n fun here at CardSayings.net!