100+ Classic Pirate Sayings to Help You Talk Like a Pirate

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Master pirate lingo with these short, funny, and famous phrases

Co-authored by Murisa Harba and Bailey Bujnosek, BA

Last Updated: June 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Famous Pirate Sayings
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• Insults and Omens
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• Funny
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• Short
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• Ship and Crew Lingo
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• Battle Sayings
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• Talking Like a Pirate
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• Pirate Name Generator

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Yo ho, yo ho! It’s a pirate’s life for you. But no pirate impression (or Sea of Thieves gaming session) is complete without the proper pirate lingo. Brush up on your vocabulary and impress your mateys on Talk Like a Pirate Day by reading our comprehensive guide to pirate sayings, complete with their meanings. With a little practice, you’ll sound like a real swashbuckler in no time!

Common Pirate Words and Phrases

• Shiver me timbers! A way to express fear or surprise.
• Walk the plank! A command for a prisoner to cross a plank and dive into the ocean.
• Davy Jones’ Locker. A fictional locker holding drowned souls at the bottom of the sea.
• Scupper that! An exclamation indicating anger or annoyance.

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Section 1 of 7:

Famous Pirate Sayings

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1. 
   1
   Ahoy! In pirate lingo, “Ahoy” means hello. Use it to greet fellow pirates, landlubbers, and anyone else you encounter. Or, if you spot a passing pirate ship, shout “Ahoy there!” to catch the crew’s attention.

   • Pirates may also use “ahoy” as an exclamation to signal that they see something in the distance. They may say “Land ahoy!” or “Ship ahoy!”
2. 2
   Shiver me timbers This classic pirate expression is a way of showing fear, disbelief, or awe. A modern equivalent might be you saying, “I’m shook.” The timbers refer to the wooden frames of the ship, which shiver (shake) in stormy conditions, startling those on board.
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3. 3
   Mate/Matey A pirate’s friend is known as their mate. Use this title to refer to your buddies, co-workers, and anyone who you feel close with. To address a single friend, you may say, “Ahoy, matey!”
4. 4
   Wench In pirate speak, a wench is a woman, usually a prostitute. However, the term wasn’t originally an insult—it was simply a way to refer to a woman. It became a phrase mostly used to refer to servant girls, prostitutes, and other women considered lower-class.
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   Yo-Ho-Ho Yo-Ho-Ho is a meaningless pirate term that isn’t documented as being used by any real pirates. Still, it’s associated with pirate speak today—likely because it first appeared in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic pirate novel, Treasure Island, in 1883.
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   All hands on deck/All hand hoy When you hear the call “All hands on deck,” it means the ship needs everyone to report to the deck, usually because there’s an emergency to deal with. The term isn’t exclusive to pirates or boats. It’s used in many non-nautical situations as a simple call to action.
7. 7
   Avast ye! This pirate exclamation is a way of saying “Stop! Pay attention!” A captain or crew member may shout it when they want to point something out or warn of danger. “Ye” means “you” in pirate talk—think of “Avast ye” as “Listen, you!”
8. 8
   The briny deep The briny deep is another way of referring to the ocean. Briny means salty, while deep refers to the unfathomable depths of the sea. Pirates both respect and fear the briny deep, knowing it can’t be controlled.
9. 9
   Doubloons A doubloon is a type of Spanish gold coin, weighing almost an ounce. As the largest gold coin of the 16th century, doubloons were an especially sought-after treasure. Use the word “doubloon” as a substitute for “money” to talk like a pirate.
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    Land ho! When a pirate spots land, they cry “Land ho!” It’s an exclamation that means “There’s the land” or “We’re in sight of land.” Usually, a ship’s lookout exclaims this phrase to alert the rest of the crew to prepare for anchoring, deboarding, and exploring the land.
11. 11
    Maroon Maroon is a verb that means stranding a sailor on an island without any provisions or help. Marooning was a punishment ship captains often gave to law-breakers and deserters. To maroon is to leave to die—the marooned pirate likely won’t survive without food, fresh water, and the assistance of the crew.

    • While pirates could be marooned on small islands without resources, they might also have been marooned on a small boat without oars.
    • Some pirates preferred execution to marooning so they wouldn’t suffer without food and water.
12. 12
    Three sheets to the wind If a pirate is described as “three sheets to the wind,” it means they’re very drunk—probably from drinking a lot of rum. Being one sheet to the wind means being only mildly drunk (tipsy), while being four sheets to the wind is a way of saying someone has passed out.
13. 13
    Thar she blows. “Thar she blows” is an exclamation used to indicate a whale sighting. Say this phrase to alert crew mates that you’ve spotted a whale so they can take the necessary precautions to avoid a collision—or prepare to hunt it.

    • The “she” is the whale, while “blows” refers to the whale spouting water from its blowhole.
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    Blow the man down This pirate saying comes from a popular sea shanty about a pirate being tricked into working on a ship or simply fighting a sudden storm. Historians debate the exact meaning of the shanty’s lyrics to this day. As a stand-alone term, “Blow the man down” may mean to kill someone or to knock them out with a blow.
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    Walk the plank Are you even a pirate if you’ve never commanded someone to walk the plank? The saying refers to a method of executing prisoners by forcing them to walk across a plank over the water and drown, usually while being bound with rope and prodded across. While many people associate this saying with pirates, there are no confirmed cases of someone being made to walk the plank.
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Section 2 of 7:

Pirate Insults and Omens

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1. 
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   Carouser A carouser is a person who drinks too much, and probably gets into mischief because of it. A pirate may use it to insult a drunkard in their crew or simply to describe someone that doesn’t know their limits.
2. 2
   Dead men tell no tales Thanks to Disney’s popular Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, you’ve probably heard this pirate threat before. It’s a way of reminding a captive or witness that you can kill them so they don’t rat you out or spill a precious secret.

   • The phrase “Dead men tell no tales” doesn’t have any documented usage with real pirates. Historically, pirates would recruit victims or sell them into slavery instead of killing them.
3. 3
   Davy Jones’ locker Davy Jones’ locker is pirate slang for death. It’s an expression referring to a fictional place at the bottom of the ocean where the souls of dead sailors go, a watery grave ruled by an evil spirit named Davy Jones. You may threaten to send someone to Davy Jones’ locker as a way of saying you’re going to kill them.

   • If you die at sea, your comrades may say you went to Davy Jones’ locker.
4. 4
   Swab A swab is a mop that pirates and sailors use to wash their ship’s deck. Because swabbing the deck wasn’t the most esteemed job to have, “swab” became an insult referring to someone’s low rank. You may also call someone a “swabber” with the same meaning.
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   Lubber/landlubber Lubber is sort of like the “poser” or “casual” of the pirate world. If someone lacked familiarity with the pirate’s life, a pirate may call them a “lubber” or “landlubber” as an insult based on their inexperience and ignorance. The term dates back to the 14th century and has connotations of stupidity and clumsiness.
6. 6
   Dance the hempen jig If a pirate has danced the hempen jig, it’s a euphemism meaning they were executed by hanging. When someone is hung, their body may jerk as they’re strangled, resembling the movements of a jig (a kind of dance). The “hempen” part of the phrase refers to the hemp rope used as a noose.

   • The spasms of hanging pirates were also referred to as the “Marshal’s dance” after the court official involved in the trial and execution.
7. 7
   Dance with Jack Ketch To dance with Jack Ketch is to hang, a form of public execution popular in the Golden Age of Piracy. The euphemism mentions Jack Ketch, an English hangman famous for his brutality. As with “dance the hempen jig” or “doing the Marshal’s dance,” the dance refers to the spasms of the body during the execution.
8. 8
   Picaroon “Picaroon” is an insult referring to a scoundrel, someone who’s unscrupulous and perhaps even traitorous. While pirates were notorious for having loose ethics, they still had codes of conduct and limits to what crimes they’d look past.
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   Scourge of the seven seas If you want to call someone really low-down and dirty, consider flinging the alliterative insult “scourge of the seven seas” their way. Scourge is a kind of whip, but it can more generally refer to any cause of affliction and turmoil.

   • The seven seas refer to every ocean or body of water in the world. To be the scourge of them is to be notorious throughout the land.
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    Scurvy Scurvy is an adjective for someone a pirate finds horrendous. Pair this insult with a noun like “dog,” “scoundrel,” or “villain” to really cut someone down. While pirates called people scurvy to indicate extreme dislike, you may also be familiar with the term as the common name for a vitamin C deficiency.

    • Because they spent months at sea without access to fresh fruit or other sources of vitamin C, many pirates developed scurvy.
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    Black spot The black spot is an omen associated with piracy thanks to its appearance in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Treasure Island. It refers to a piece of paper with a black dot inked on the center, handed to a pirate to threaten him with injury or death. As cool as it sounds, Stevenson made it up for his book. Real pirates probably didn’t give each other warnings.
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    Strumpet Pirates used this term to insult women who they considered promiscuous. They also applied the term to prostitutes. The term isn’t unique to pirate lingo—it even appears in Shakespeare.
13. 13
    Nightingale When a pirate cried out while being flogged, or whipped, as punishment for some act, bystanders insulted him by calling him a “nightingale” in reference to the singing bird. This is because pirates see such crying as cowardly and pathetic—the opposite of what a swashbuckler should be. It’s similar to the modern insult “crybaby,” but more specific.
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    Kick the bucket “Kick the bucket” is yet another pirate euphemism for being hanged. At times, a hangman would make a prisoner stand on a bucket to be hanged instead of the traditional ladder or platform. They commenced the execution by kicking the bucket out from under the prisoners’ feet, forcing them to be strangled by the noose.
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    Swing the lead Like swabbing the deck, swinging the lead was another job that became an insult. When pirates were measuring the depth below the boat while near land, they’d use a line with a lead weight at the bottom to do so. Because this task was easy, it became an insult to say someone swings the lead—it means they’re lazy or not doing their share.
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Section 3 of 7:

Funny Pirate Sayings

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   Sea dog A sea dog isn’t a furry animal that lives on a pirate ship. Rather, it’s a pirate term for a sailor who’s been at sea for a long time and is a wizened veteran of the trade. Refer to the oldest members of your pirate crew as “sea dogs”—just be sure they know it’s a term of respect.
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   Son of a biscuit eater While there are plenty of scathing pirate insults, “son of a biscuit eater” is somewhat sillier than the rest. As you can probably guess, it’s a censored version of a more common curse. The logic is that a biscuit eater is too refined and delicate to be a rough-and-tumble pirate.
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   Scallywag Scallywag is fun to say, making it one of the most popular pirate sayings remembered today. It’s a word used by experienced pirates to refer to people new to the trade. Think of it as the pirate version of a “noob” or someone who’s “green.” It’s not necessarily an insult, just a way for veteran pirates to distinguish themselves from newbies.
4. 4
   Me hearties Some pirate slang sounds too cute to be associated with brash and rugged pirates—“Me hearties” is the perfect example. “Hearties” are friends or comrades, while “me” is the pirate way of saying “my.” Say “me hearties” to refer to your crew.
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   Hornswoggle To hornswoggle is to swindle someone, tricking them out of their money or another of their possessions. The crime might be serious, but the phrase for it is decidedly not. Accuse your mateys of hornswoggling you the next time you misplace something.
6. 6
   Freeze the balls off a brass monkey This pirate saying sounds dirtier than it actually is. On a pirate ship, the “monkey” was a brass tray that held cannonballs. In cold weather, the iron cannonballs shifted and fell as they reacted with the metal of the tray. It’s a fancy way of saying it’s really cold.
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   Booty A pirate’s booty is their treasure, the loot they’ve taken from another pirate, an innocent ship, or a hidden island. On a pirate ship, the whole crew would share the booty evenly (unless someone felt like stealing more than their share).
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   Scupper that! When a pirate got angry, they might have said “Scupper that!” to express their frustration. A scupper is a drain opening cut through the ship’s bulwarks to let the water that pooled on the deck flow overboard. To say “Scupper that” is to figuratively suggest pitching something overboard.
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   Chockablock When the pirate ship is very full of people, the crew may describe it as “chockablock.” The name comes from two objects on a pirate ship. A chock is a wedge that keeps an object from moving as the boat rocks on the waves. A block is a pulley used to hoist and haul the sail. When pulled to the extreme, it gets stuck and is considered “chockablock”—as if a chock is stopping the blocks.
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    Cackle fruit Cackle fruit is the pirate name for hen’s eggs. You might also hear the term cackleberry, which has the same meaning. A cackle is a kind of shrill laugh—like the sound chickens make—and the fruit part suggests the egg is the “fruit” or product of the cackling bird.
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    Scuttlebutt Pirates didn’t ask each other for the tea—they called gossip scuttlebutt. The term gets its own song in The Little Mermaid (2023). On a pirate ship, the scuttlebutt was a cask containing fresh water. It’s like the water cooler of modern-day offices: a site where coworkers gather to gossip and hydrate at the same time.
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    Grog blossom Don’t mistake a grog blossom for a flower. This pirate phrase refers to the red color that blossoms across someone’s nose or face when they're drunk. “Grog” is pirate slang for watered-down liquor, usually rum.
13. 13
    Bumbo Bumbo is a drink featuring rum or gin, water, sugar, and a spice like cinnamon or nutmeg. Pirates liked this warming spiced drink as a way to fortify themselves against the bitter winds. Think of it as the elevated version of grog.
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Section 4 of 7:

Short Pirate Sayings

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1. 
   Enhance your pirate impression by peppering in short phrases. Whether you’re role-playing as a pirate or writing a story set on the seven seas, having an expanded pirate vocabulary is a must. Learn the exclamations, euphemisms, and simple phrases that pirates used while sailing.

   • Blimey! An expression of surprise.
   • Savvy? A pirate’s way of asking, “Do you understand?” Like capiche.
   • Sea legs. What you have when you become comfortable moving about a ship without getting dizzy or tumbling. In other words, becoming experienced.
   • Crimp. To crimp is to trick sailors or soldiers into working for you, possibly by drugging them or conning them into signing a bad contract.
   • Handsomely. Quickly or carefully. For example, a pirate may say, “Let’s anchor handsomely here.”
   • Me. My. For example, “Me hearties” means “My friends.” “Me booty” means “My treasure.”
   • Ye. You. When addressing his crew, a captain may use the phrase “All ye.”
   • Take a caulk. Take a nap. Ship decks were caulked with black tar to waterproof them. Sailors who napped on deck would get the caulk on them.
   • Bombed. Drunk. The phrase comes from the bombard, a leather jug that stored beer or ale.
   • Show a leg! Wake up!
   • Long clothes. The clothes worn on land. Pirates couldn’t wear long, baggy clothes because they could get caught in the rigging. People on land could.
   • Spyglass. Telescope.
   • Grub. Food.
   • Belay. “Stop!” Used as a command, like, “Belay the ship right now!”
   • Catgut scraper. The fiddler on a pirate ship. Fiddle strings were made of catgut and scraped with a bow to make music.
   • Bilge. Slang for nonsense. Literally, the outer surface of the bottom of the ship’s hull.
   • Crack Jenny’s teacup. To visit a brothel.
   • A soft farewell. What it’s called when a pirate ship leaves secretly in the night to keep all the booty to themselves.
   • Jolly Roger. The black pirate flag with a white skull and crossbones on the front. Pirates raised the Jolly Roger just before an attack to reveal that they were pirates.
   • Hang the jib. Frown. A jib is a triangular sail extending from the foremast to the jibboom.
   • Lad/lass/lassie. Ways to refer to a child. Lad is a boy, lass or lassie is a girl.
   • Clap of thunder. A shot of strong alcohol, or a strong alcoholic beverage, generally.
   • Down the hatch. A toast said before taking a drink. Literally, to put cargo down through the ship’s hatch and into the hold.

Section 5 of 7:

Pirate Ship and Crew Lingo

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1. 
   Use boat and work-related terms to sound like a true sailor. A pirate is a master of the sea, knowledgeable in the jargon of ship parts and the daily labor it takes to maintain the boat. Learn the words and phrases related to pirate ships and their crew to appear worthy of setting sail.

   • Splice the mainbrace. To repair the main brace, a difficult task usually rewarded with grog. It became slang for serving drinks.
   • Batten down the hatches. Tie down everything on the ship in preparation for rough weather.
   • Weigh anchor. Leave port by hauling the anchor up into the boat.
   • Furl the sail. Roll up and secure the sail.
   • Coxswain. The person who steers the ship and takes charge of the crew.
   • Hands. The crew. For example, saying “All hands on deck” means “All crew, report to the deck.”
   • Capsize. To turn over. Ships would capsize in a bad storm.
   • Mutiny. When a group turns against the person in charge, usually trying to overtake the ship and install a new leader.
   • Flake out. Laying an anchor flat to avoid tangling the anchor rope when tossing it overboard. In pirate slang, to flake out is to lie down (flat) out of exhaustion.
   • Black jack. A pirate flag (the Jolly Roger) or a large tankard.
   • Haul wind. Direct the ship into the wind.
   • Foul up. An exclamation when the anchor rope gets tangled.
   • No prey, no pay. A pirate law explaining how the crew of a pirate ship doesn’t get paid unless they capture some booty (“prey”). They don’t receive wages, only a share of the treasure they find.
   • Crow’s nest. The platform near the top of a ship’s mast where a lookout surveys the horizon for land and other ships.
   • Gangplank. A long wooden board used to exit a ship onto a pier or another ship.
   • Hull. The body of a ship—aka everything below the deck.
   • Boom about. An exclamation warning that the boom, the horizontal pole at the bottom of the ship’s mast, is swinging so people may duck to avoid being struck by it.
   • Scrape the bottom of the barrel. To scrape the fat from a pork-filled barrel for selling to candlemakers after a voyage. Usually, done by the ship’s cook.
   • In consort. When multiple pirate ships agree to share their booty at the end of their voyages.
   • Give a wide berth. To anchor away from another ship at a safe distance. Now used to refer to anything you’re intentionally avoiding.
   • Gingerbread work. Slang for the decorative gilding (gold trim) found on the outside of a ship’s hull. Named after the gilding bakers put on gingerbread.
   • Run a rig. Play a practical joke on someone.
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Section 6 of 7:

Pirate Sayings In Battle

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1. 
   Sound fierce with pirate terms related to fighting and weaponry. If you’re trying to find pirate sayings you can use while playing Sea of Thieves or another pirate-themed video game, consider terms related to battle and violence. Pirates were often in conflict, either with one another or the law. The result is a treasure chest’s worth of battle-related pirate sayings.

   • Fire in the hole! An exclamation warning that a cannon is about to be fired.
   • Run a shot across the bow. A command to the crew to fire a warning shot.
   • Plunder. Steal. For example, “The pirates plundered the ship, taking everything of value.”
   • Pillage. To steal anything from a captured ship except the cargo, such as jewelry, fine clothes, weapons, and food. The cargo was taken as booty and shared evenly amongst the crew.
   • Bounty. A reward for capturing and turning in a criminal.
   • Goose without gravy. An injured man (the goose) not bleeding (blood being the gravy). Used to indicate the severity of an injury.
   • Cut and run. Cutting the anchor rope instead of hauling it up on board so you can make a quicker escape, especially in the face of danger.
   • Parley. A sanctioned discussion between two opposing sides to attempt a truce. Featured in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
   • Quarter. Give mercy. Usually, pirates gave quarter to honorable losers.
   • Give no quarter. Offer no mercy, only death, to opponents. Flying a red Jolly Roger flag threatens that the ship gives no quarter.
   • Cat o’ nine tails. The nine-lash whip used for flogging punishments.
   • Cutlass. A short, curved sword popularly associated with pirates.
   • Powder chest. A box secured to the side of the chip and filled with gunpowder and scrap metal. Intended to explode on impact, deterring other ships from coming close enough to board.
   • Chase. A ship being pursued. For example, “We followed the chase for miles.” Also the act of pursuing or “chasing” a ship.
   • Flogging. Beating someone with a whip, usually as a punishment for a crime or mutiny.
   • Keelhaul. A punishment in which someone is tied to a rope, thrown overboard, and dragged under the ship.

Section 7 of 7:

How to Talk Like a Pirate

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1. 1
   Turn “R”s into “Arrrs!” Emphasize the “R” sound when it comes at the beginning or end of a word. Simply drag it out into an “Arrr,” or try to roll your “R”s by relaxing your tongue and pointing the tip slightly upward with your lips parted as you talk.
2. 2
   Drop the “H” from the beginning of words. Pirates don’t typically pronounce the “H” sound at the start of a word, so leave it off your words to improve your pirate accent. For example, say “‘Ello” instead of “Hello,” “‘Ow” instead of “How,” and “‘Orrible” instead of “Horrible.” There are some exceptions, like the phrase “Hearties.”
3. 3
   Drop the “G” from the end of words. Master a melodious accent by cutting the “G” from all words that end in “-ing.” A soft or missing “G” sounds more rough than the proper pronunciation of landlubbers. “Fighting” becomes “fightin’,” “drinking” becomes “drinkin’,” and so on.
4. 4
   Speak in a slurred, gravelly voice. Pirates are known for having rough voices—perhaps from all the shouting and heavy drinking. Channel their gravelly speech by lowering your voice and speaking from the back of the throat for a gravelly effect. Slur together words and syllables to appear as if you just drank a nice cup of grog.

   • Be careful not to strain your vocal cords by forcing a rasp.
5. 5
   Go overboard with exaggeration. Pirates are colorful characters, known for reacting to life with loud, brash expressions. Don’t be afraid to let your passion for the sea, your mateys, and your grog shine through as you talk like a pirate. Use your hands to be more expressive, and practice a full, throaty laugh befitting of a sea dog.

   • Exaggerate your body language to better embody a character impression, confirms actress Murisa Harba. “Physicality is the number one way that we as human beings communicate to one another,” she explains.
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