Whether you’re planning a pirate-themed party, helping your child get into character for World Book Day, or just want to know your “arr” from your “avast”, pirate sayings are endlessly fun — and surprisingly varied once you go beyond the classics.

Here’s a round-up of the best pirate sayings, what they mean, and how to use them.

Classic Pirate Sayings Everyone Knows

These are the pirate phrases that have become part of popular culture — the ones your child probably already knows from books, films, and dressing-up play.

Arr! — The most famous pirate expression of all. Used to express agreement, enthusiasm, or general pirate-ness. Can be extended to “Arrr!” for extra effect.

Ahoy! — A pirate greeting, used the way we’d say “hello” or “hey!” As in: “Ahoy, matey!”

Avast! — A command to stop or pay attention. Short for “hold fast.” Used when a pirate wants everyone to halt what they’re doing.

Shiver me timbers! — An exclamation of surprise or shock, similar to “goodness me!” or “well I never!” Originally a reference to the shaking of a ship’s wooden timbers in a storm.

Blimey! — An expression of surprise or amazement. Not exclusively pirate but very much at home in pirate vocabulary.

Yo ho ho! — A jolly exclamation associated with pirate songs and general merriment. Best delivered at full volume.

Pirate Words for People

Matey — A friendly term for a companion or crewmate. The pirate equivalent of “mate” or “pal.”

Cap’n — Short for Captain. The boss of the ship. Not to be argued with.

Landlubber — An insult directed at someone who isn’t a sailor. Literally means a person who lives on land and doesn’t know their way around a ship.

Scallywag — A mischievous or untrustworthy person. Can be used affectionately or as a mild insult depending on the context.

Scurvy dog — A more pointed insult meaning a despicable or worthless person. Scurvy was a real disease that affected sailors, so this is also a reference to poor health.

Bilge rat — Another insult, referring to someone as low as a rat in the bilge — the lowest part of a ship where dirty water collects.

Buccaneer — Another word for pirate, originally used to describe Caribbean pirates specifically.

Swashbuckler — A daring, adventurous pirate or swordsman. A compliment of sorts in pirate terms.

Pirate Commands and Nautical Sayings

All hands on deck! — A command for the entire crew to come up to the main deck. Used today to mean everyone needs to get involved in something urgently.

Batten down the hatches — Originally a command to secure the hatches of a ship before a storm. Now used more generally to mean prepare for something difficult.

Walk the plank — The famous pirate punishment of forcing someone to walk off a plank extending over the side of the ship. Whether this actually happened historically is debated, but it’s firmly established in pirate legend.

Set sail — To begin a voyage. Can be used today to mean starting any journey or new adventure.

Weigh anchor — To pull up the anchor and prepare to move. The signal that a ship is about to depart.

Dead men tell no tales — A famous pirate saying meaning that it’s safer to leave no witnesses. Now mostly famous as the motto of pirates everywhere and the name of a certain film.

No prey, no pay — A pirate code principle meaning that if the crew didn’t capture anything, they didn’t get paid. A reminder that piracy was, at its heart, a business.

Pirate Sayings for a Party or Dressing Up

If you’re organising a pirate-themed birthday party or helping a little one prepare for World Book Day, these are the phrases worth practising.

• “Ahoy there, me hearties!” — A greeting for the whole crew
• “Aye aye, Cap’n!” — The correct response when a captain gives an order
• “X marks the spot!” — Essential for any treasure hunt
• “There be treasure ahead!” — Building excitement about what’s coming
• “To the high seas!” — A rousing declaration to start any adventure
• “Arrr, this be a fine feast!” — Appropriate appreciation for party food

Fun Pirate Phrases to Teach Children

These work brilliantly for imaginative play and are easy for young children to remember and repeat.

• “I spy with me pirate eye…”
• “Prepare to be boarded!”
• “All hands on deck!”
• “We be the fiercest pirates on the seven seas!”
• “Arrr, that be a mighty fine treasure!”
• “Land ahoy!”
• “Follow the map!”

A Brief Note on Real Pirate History

While the pirate sayings above come largely from popular culture and fiction, real pirates did exist — particularly during the Golden Age of Piracy in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Figures like Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, and Calico Jack were real historical people, and the Caribbean was genuinely a hotspot for piracy during this period.

Much of what we think of as pirate culture — the language, the flags, the treasure maps — has been shaped by novels like Treasure Island and later by films, rather than by historical record. But that doesn’t make it any less fun for a four year old with a plastic cutlass and an eye patch.