Do You Talk Like a Pirate?

Blogger: Shirley Raye Redmond

Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day. There are various explanations for the origin of the day, but I do know schools in my county actually encourage the students to observe the day by dressing in baggy shirts, donning eye patches and growling “Arrghh” or “Shiver me timbers.”

I don’t get it. After all, pirates weren’t good guys, were they? Pirates were the gangs of their day—killing, raping, pillaging. I suppose time, distance, Disney and Hollywood have made these human predators more romantic than they actually were.

After a quick scan of nautical idioms, I realized that we talk like pirates and seamen in general more than we may realize. When we refer to someone being a “loose cannon” or a “son of a gun,” we are using seaman’s slang. We may find ourselves “high and dry” or “three sheets to the wind.”

Have you ever been told to “get onboard” or “been in the same boat” with someone else? Have you ever had to “break the ice” or “batten down the hatches?” Some sailing slang is just plain odd. On more than one occasion, I’ve read in novels where sailors refer to the common storm petrel as “Mother Carey’s chickens.” I had to look that one up. It turns out that these birds exhibit a certain kind of behavior before a storm approaches.

Thankful for the warning, seaman long ago called this sea bird Mater Cara or “Beloved Mother,” a Latin term referring to the Virgin Mary. Even the name petrel is derived from the name of the disciple Peter, who walked upon the water toward Jesus one stormy night. Over time, the name morphed into Mother Carey.

So today, clear the decks and give a wide berth to anyone who orders you to walk the plank!