Aye Mateys! It’s time to talk a wee bit about Sea dogs. We mean Pirates of course. In case you hadn’t heard, these seafarin’ hearties have their own official holiday now. And TODAY is it! Yup, today Monday, September 19 is officially “Talk Like A Pirate Day.” Now, ye might be sayin’, “Why on earth would I be needin’ t’ talk like a Swashbuckler?” Well, you only need one reason, really—because it’s fun. We have lots of ideas to help you celebrate this holiday properly and to make sure that you enjoy this day in its proper fashion, with all things Pirate. Here’s our complete list of things to make your “Talk Like a Pirate Day” absolutely fit for the high sea.
Know the Story- Not so ancient legend has it that the tale went something like this. Two guys named John Baur and Mark Summers were playing a rousing game of raquetball one day when suddenly one of the two men got a mild injury. “Arrrrr,” he groaned. And in that moment, a holiday was born. The men were so amused by the pirate-like expression that came out under duress, that they immediately changed their names to “Old Chumbucket” and “Cap’n Slappy.” The two friends, enthralled with their swashbuckling exchanges that day, decided an official holiday was in order and thereby designated September 19, “Talk Like A Pirate” day. If you’d like to read the entire "Talk Like a Pirate Day" story, click here.
Learn the Lingo-Obviously, if you are going to have any fun at all on Talk Like A Pirate Day, you are going to need to know some basic pirate-speak. Here are some of the essentials to get you started.
Shiver me timbers! (What a surprise!)
Me Hearties! (Friends)
Blimey (Wow)
Landlubber (A person who prefers life on land; a definite pirate insult)
Aye (Yes!)
Ahoy! (Hello!)
Davy Jones Locker (The bottom of the sea)
Lucky for all us folks who aren’t quite fluent in Pirate (yet), there are lots of handy English to Pirate translators available online. This can be particularly fun to use for your emails to co-workers or friends on this special day. Have fun with it and think of this as an educational experience in exploring a new language.
Dress Like a Pirate-Alright me fine mateys! Now we need to address the important stuff. If you are going to go around talking like a Pirate, it’s much more effective if you are dressed like one, too. Today would be a great time to obtain and wear an authentic looking Pirate costume. These are easily available for men, women and children and will definitely add an air of authenticity to your Pirate celebration. That, and make sure you have a nice growling “Arrrrr.”
Get Great Accessories-To be a proper buccaneer you are going to need appropriate accessories to complete your Pirate look. Head wraps, eye patches, earrings, hand hooks, swords, boots, hats and a bunch of gold doubloons will give you realistic Pirate flair. You might even want to consider getting the old stand by first mate to the Cap’n of the Pirate ship, a colorful stuffed parrot designed to sit on your shoulder. The right accessories are essential to create the perfect Pirate ensemble.
Get an Attitude-Decide what kind of Pirate you want to be and adopt the right swagger. Pirates aren’t really known for their sweet gentility, so feel free to be a little growly and brusque, it’s the Pirate way. Make sure you have a really great Pirate name for this special holiday, too. Black Bart, Satan’s Doom or Neptune will create an air of authenticity about you as you wear your Pirate look. A good Pirate name is a must; not too many Pirates were called Brad or Susan.
Enjoy Pirate Media-Talk Like a Pirate Day is the perfect day to haul out your favorite Pirate flicks and watch them again as part of your homage to Pirates. Treasure Island and any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are a great place to start. Don’t forget to invite your crew of Bucko’s over and make a Pirate movie night of it.
Enjoy Pirate Fare-When you think of Pirates and their eating habits, you are probably thinking of a filthy, drooling and beastly old sea dog eating a giant drumstick with one hand, a knife in the other and eating mostly with his fingers. Pirates certainly weren’t known for their manners, and usually everything was washed down with a good dousing of Rum. This is your perfect opportunity to eat your grub as messy as you like. And of course, you can substitute more subdued Pirate beverages such as Pineapple or Coconut juice for the Rum if you prefer. If a little of your brew dribbles down your chin, its all the better.
Enjoy Music like a Pirate-Sing it raucous, sing it loud and sing it very off pitch. If you are going to really sound like a Pirate you have to be a bit gauche. “We pillage, we plunder we rifle and loot, drink up me hearties yo ho! We kidnap and ravage and don’t give a hoot, drink up me hearties yo ho!” That’ll get you started, but don’t try to make a career out of this Pirate singing gig, you may quickly lose your crew.
Get Into It-There are a surprising number of fun resources available for Talk Like a Pirate Day that are going to make it really fun and easy to get into it. Google is on board and has a Google Pirate Search engine that you may want to try. Your Facebook page can be translated into Pirate language as well. There are many apps available to enhance your experience as a swashbuckler so have fun with them!
Pay your Pirate Forward-Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and Talk Like a Pirate Day lasts only for one day. Any efforts to continue on in Pirate mode beyond this probably aren’t going to go over very well, so this isn’t recommended. Even still, you can probably find other uses for your Pirate look down the line, the very soonest being on Halloween! A Pirate look makes a fantastic Halloween costume!
Have a lot of fun on Talk Like a Pirate Day. Makin’ conversation like a slimy ol’ bilge rat is going to give you plenty to Yo ho ho about.
