| "Not all men seek rest and peace, some are born with the spirit of the storm in their blood, restless harbingers of violence and bloodshed, knowing no other path." |  |
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Pirate Lingo Above Board- Above decks, therefore, meaning to be out in the open, visible to all; honest, straight forward, ect. Brass Monkey Weather-Refers to very cold weather |
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| Bend- a knot used to join two ropes, lines, cables to another or to an object, such as an anchor's shackle. A knot more properlly involvesuntwisting the strands of a rope and tucking under and over to create a stopper knot or a Turk's Head. | Freezing the balls off a brass monkey- a brass monkey is a brass triangle which is put on the ground and used to keep the cannonballs from rolling away. When it gets really cold, the triangle contracts, and the cannonballs roll away, hence the phrase. | |
| Bos'n-
Short for boatswain, pronounced "bosun", a person in charge of
the deck crew and the deck rigging in general.
Charley Noble- Many a rookie sailor has been sent to find "Charlie Noble". Usually affter much searching and no Charley Noble, he will eventually discover that Charley Noble is the galley stove pipe. They also tell the sailors to find the mail bouy. |
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| Head- Toilet.Ships sailed down wind (that means the wind blew from the stern to the bow), that was the nature of the beast. Sailors had no indoor plumbing, so they went over the side. They didn't want their mess blowing back so they went at the head. |  |
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| Shake
a leg- There was a time when women went to sea with their sailors on
certain ships. the crew and their women slept in hammocks, slung on hooks.
When the bos'n rousted the crew out for a sail change or other evolution,
he would yell, "Shake a leg." He could tell by their legs which
was the crew and which was the women.
Son of a gun- Many people use this with no inkling to its original meaning. Going back to when women gave birth on or under the gun deck, the child was said to be a son of a gun. |
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