What day is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? How can you take part? What on earth is a landlubber?

In this article, you’ll learn a little bit about a relatively new, U.S.-born holiday, dedicated to talking like a pirate. What fun would learning a language be without a little deviance from the usual, anyway?

At EnglishClass101.com, we hope to make every aspect of your language-learning journey both fun and informative! And today, we hope you walk away from this lesson with all the pirate-y conversation material you’ll need to celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Let’s get starrrrted.

1. What is Talk Like a Pirate Day?

On International Talk Like a Pirate Day, people are encouraged to talk like a pirate! This is a parodic, or silly, holiday, created in 1995. This holiday originated in the United States, and is the idea of two men from the state of Oregon: John Baur (who goes by the pirate name Ol’ Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (or Cap’n Slappy).

Like most good things in life, this holiday actually began as an inside joke between the two, but became publicized after they wrote to a humor columnist about it. People love an excuse to be silly, so it quickly caught on.

2. When is International Talk Like a Pirate Day?

International Talk Like a Pirate Day takes place on September 19 each year.

3. International Talk Like a Pirate Day Activities

While there are no set in stone activities for Talk Like a Pirate Day, the name says it all. On this day, anyone who wishes to participate should simply talk like a pirate whenever possible. This can refer to specific words and phrases (which we’ll go into detail about below) or even making one’s voice sound gruff and “pirate-y.”

For those who want to go all-out expressing their admiration for pirate speech, there may also be pirate-themed parties or get-togethers. During these, people may even dress up like pirates, with beards, pegleg, and eyepatches! Who wants to wait another month for Halloween, anyway?

Due to the rise in popularity of Talk Like a Pirate Day, many companies offer special promotions or events as well, related to piracy.

4. Vocabularrry for Talk Like a Pirate Day

Here are some International Talk Like a Pirate Day phrases that you’ll need to celebrate this fun holiday like there’s no tomorrow. 😉

• Pirate: Pirates are known for stealing and violence upon the seas, and are depicted in various films and books.
• Eye patch: An eye patch is some kind of material that covers one eye, usually because that eye is injured (or missing after a long-ago battle!).
• Booty: This refers to some type of treasure or loot, something that many film pirates find themselves searching for.
• Arr!: This is perhaps the most common and frequently used pirate expression, though sometimes people say this at other times year-round. You can say this just for fun, or when you’re upset about something, or even to agree to what someone said. It’s very versatile.
• Ahoy, Matey!: This is a pirate-y way of saying “Hello, friend!”
• Aye, aye sir!: This is something that pirates under a captain’s orders would say when accepting a task or agreeing to something. On International Talk Like a Pirate Day, you can say this whenever you’re agreeing to something, or agreeing to do something.
• Shiver me timbers!: This is a funny pirate phrase, and it’s basically something you say when you’re scared or in awe of something. A” timber” is a piece of wood that supports the ship of a pirate, which would “shiver” when the sea and winds were strong.
• Landlubber: A “landlubber” is one who dwells entirely on land, as opposed to living life largely in the sea like a pirate. You can call someone a “landlubber” on Talk Like a Pirate Day” to jokingly insult them.
• Walk the plank: This may be the most popularized pirate phrase in movies. Usually, this phrase is used in movies when a pirate’s enemy (or an unlucky lower-rank pirate!) is captured. A “plank” is a slab of wood that hangs over the edge of the ship, so someone told to “walk the plank” must walk off the plank into the sea to drown. But on International Talk Like a Pirate Day, you can say this anytime just for fun.
• Thar she blows!: Pirates would say this to let the other pirates onboard know that he’d seen a whale on the water’s surface. “Thar” means there, and the latter part of the sentence refers to the water blowing out of a whale’s blowhole when they go for air.
• Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!: This phrase is basically the same as “Arrrr!!” but has the gg sound at the end, which makes it sound angrier. You can use this anytime for fun on International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
• Avast ye matey!: Essentially, this is how pirates would tell other pirates to stop what they were doing, or “hold fast.” Again, you can say this any time on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
• Me hearties: “Me” here really means my, and “hearty” or “hearties” is simply a way to address other pirates onboard.
• Heave ho!: This is a phrase pirates would say when lifting up, or otherwise moving, something that was heavy or difficult.
• Dead men tell no tales: This phrase is a pirate-y way of saying that those who die aren’t able to talk about their adventures (or their knowledge of something). It can be used many ways, but most especially as a threat (like if someone knows something they shouldn’t, a pirate could say this to warn them to keep quiet). But again, it’s just a fun phrase on Talk Like a Pirate Day (and the name of a famous pirate movie). 😉
• Jolly Roger: Despite its name, this is not at all related to the Jolly Rancher candies. The Jolly Roger is the black pirate flag with skull and crossbones.
• Davy Jones’ Locker: When people talk about Davy Jones’ Locker, they’re usually referring to where drowned bodies go, at the bottom of the sea.
• Captain: The captain of a ship is the one who’s in charge of all its goings-on, and can give orders to the rest of the crew.
• Peg leg: A peg leg is a false (or prosthetic) leg that pirates in movies are often depicted wearing, usually when they lose one of their legs.
• Hook: The “hook” is another popular adornment of movie pirates. This is similar to the peg leg, but is an actual hook that is used in place of a hand. A famous pirate with a hook is the aptly named Captain Hook.
• Treasure map: A treasure map is a map created specifically to give directions on how to find a treasure. In movies, pirates oftentimes find themselves using a treasure map to find hidden treasures.

To hear each of these vocabulary words pronounced, and read them alongside relevant images and example sentences, check out our International Talk Like a Pirate Day vocabulary list!

How EnglishClass101 Can Help You Master U.S. Culture

We hope you learned something new today, and that you’re able to get the most out of this holiday with the phrases you learned. Are there any fun, unique, or even silly holidays that are celebrated in your country? Do you know any pirate phrases in your language? Let us know in the comments!

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Until next time, Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day!