How to Celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day

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Updated: September 6, 2019

Explore this Article Talking Like a Pirate Assembling a Pirate Costume Doing Pirate Activities Ask a Question Related Articles

International Talk Like a Pirate Day started with a group of friends wanting to talk like pirates all day in 1995. The day gained more attention though the media until it finally became an official parody holiday in 2002. Next September 19th, you can celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day by talking like a pirate, wearing a pirate costume, or doing various fun pirate activities.

Talking Like a Pirate

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    Say “Ahoy!” to get someone's attention or hail transportation. A classic pirate word that essentially means “Hey!” is “Ahoy!” Use it when you're talking to a friend as a way to get their attention such as, “Ahoy, mate! How's it going?”[1]
    • You can also use this word to hail transportation; in pirate days, this was a ship, but you can use it to hail a taxi or bus. Wave your hand to the approaching vehicle and yell, “Ahoy!”
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    Agree with someone by saying “Aye!” The word “Aye,” pronounced “Eye,” is the pirate word for “Yes” or “Right.” Use this word in a conversation when you're agreeing with a person or saying yes to a question.[2]
    • For example, if someone asks you, “Do you want to go swimming?” answer “Aye!”
    • If someone says, “It's windy on this beach,” and you agree with them, answer “Aye! It is.”
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    Express your surprise with “Blimey!or "Shiver me timbers!" These expressions are both used to show surprise or shock. “Blimey” is still commonly used in Britain and is short for “God blind me,” while “Shiver me timbers” refers to the timbers, or wood, of a ship being shaken during rough or stormy seas.[3]
    • If someone shows up to your door unexpected, or startles you in some way, try saying, “Blimey!”
    • Say, “Shiver me timbers!” if you jump into freezing at the pool.
  4. 4
    Say “ye” instead of “you” and “me” instead of “my.” Two easy words to exchange for pirate language are “you” and “my.” Pirates say “ye” instead of “you,” like in the sentence, “Ye don't need a ship to be a pirate.” They also say “me” instead of “my,” like in “Me parrot can repeat ye if ye talk to it.”[4]
    • Pay attention to each time you say “you” when speaking and change it to “ye” instead, and do the same with “me” for “my.”
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    Express joy by saying “Yo-ho-ho!” This expression is actually how pirates often laughed. Respond to a joke or other phrase that makes you happy by yelling “Yo-ho-ho!” in a jolly manner.[5]
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    Call your non-pirate friends “landlubbers.” Anyone who refuses to participate in Talk Like a Pirate Day, or who is awkward or unfamiliar with pirate life, is referred to as a “land-lover,” or “landlubber.”[6]
    • For example, if someone says, “I'm not talking like that, it's stupid.” Answer, “suit yourself, landlubber.”
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    Call a friend who's being bad “scurvy dog.” Pirates referred to scoundrels or people who didn't follow the rules as “scurvy dogs,” which is basically a sick dog. Scurvy was an illness that sailors often got as a result of vitamin C deficiency.[7]
    • When your friend gets in trouble, say, “Why'd ye do that, scurvy dog?”
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    Refer to money or anything valuable as “booty.” Treasure and gold was called “booty” by pirates. If you have real gold or treasure to call booty, do that; otherwise, you can refer to your money as booty while celebrating this day.[8]
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    Threaten to make someone “walk the plank” if they cross you. When pirates had to get rid of an enemy, they made them literally walk a plank, or board, off the end of the ship and into the ocean. They would “feed the fishes” or die by drowning.
    • If someone is giving you a hard time, say, “Keep it up and you'll walk the plank by the end of this day.”
  10. 10
    Settle a dispute by having a “parley.” Pirates had a code that they had to stop fighting and sort out their argument with talking if someone called for a “parley,” or conference or discussion. Often this discussion involved the ship captains, and the word stems from the French word “parler” for “to speak.”[9]
    • If your friends are arguing, yell, “Parley!” so they stop. Have everyone sit down and talk until the disagreement is settled.

Assembling a Pirate Costume

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    Cut a pair of pants to make one leg longer than the other. Pirates often wore pants that were different lengths at the legs because of their rough lifestyles. You can cut a pair of your own pants with fabric scissors. Cut 1 pant leg to your mid-calf and cut the other so it falls at your knee.[10]
    • Don't hem your pants after cutting them; allow them to fringe at the bottom where you cut them.
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    Wear a striped T-shirt. Sailors and other nautical folk often wore striped clothing, and pirates were no different. Find a red and white, blue and white, or black and white horizontal striped shirt to add to your pirate costume.[11]
    • For extra pirate flair, make cuts in the shirt at the bottom and at the edges of the sleeves to make it look tattered.
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    Get a head scarf and sash belt. Pirates often wore scarves on their heads to protect their heads from sunburn at sea. Use a regular bandanna and tie it around your head and in a knot at the back. Cut a piece of fabric long enough to tie around your waist to use as your sash belt.[12]
    • Tie your sash belt around your waist in a knot at your side.
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    Find an eyepatch and plastic pirate sword. Complete your costume with an eye patch and fake sword. You can make your own eye patch out of black fabric or felt by cutting it into a circular shape and gluing a string at each side then tying the string around your head. Find a plastic pirate sword at a costume store or department store around Halloween.[13]

Doing Pirate Activities

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    Read pirate books or watch pirate movies. Learn more about real pirates in history by going to the library and checking out books or movies about pirates. Some real pirates to learn about include Blackbeard, Calico Jack, Captain Kidd, and Sir Frances Drake.[14]
    • Share what you learn about pirates at school or with your friends as a bonus activity.
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    Create a treasure hunt for your friends. Make a map by balling up a white piece of paper until it's very wrinkled, then smooth it out and pour some cold tea over it. Leave it to dry in the sun, then draw a map on it for your friends to find treasure.[15]
    • Bury the treasure in the ground if you have shovels, or consider hiding it under rocks. If you're doing the treasure hunt inside, hide the treasure in a cabinet or drawer to make it trickier to find.
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    Have a pirate-themed party. Invite your friends over for a party with pirate-themed food like smoked meat, dried biscuits, and pickled vegetables. If it's an adult party, make punch with rum and tropical fruits like pineapple and coconut. Kids can drink pineapple juice or mango juice in the spirit of the tropics.[16]
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    Head to a pirate-themed festival. Some areas have pirate festivals on Talk Like a Pirate Day, such as Pirate Family Daze in West Bend, Wisconsin or the Rusty Scuppers Pirate Fest in Westport, Washington. Check the entertainment sections in your local newspapers to find out about events happening in your area.[17]

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    Categories: Featured Articles | Celebration Events

    In other languages:

    Español: celebrar el Día de Hablar como un Pirata, Русский: праздновать день «Говори как пират», Italiano: Celebrare il Giorno in cui si Parla come i Pirati

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