The Pirate Captain (116 page)

Cumberland:
British army commander put in charge of the Highlands after the Stuart Uprising

Curate:
two-wheeled carriage

Cutwater:
bow
,
prow
,
forefoot

Daft:
18
^th
century for “crazy”

Davy Jones:
a mythical person who ferried those who died at sea to the afterlife

Dawcock:
silly or ridiculous person

Deadeyes:
an eyed block that secures the
shrouds
to the ship

Deck prism:
a piece of glass through the deck that allows light to penetrate below

Derrick yard:
a
yard
rigged to be used to bring heavy cargo aboard

Desire:
18
^th
century for “ask,” “wish,” “request”

Devil of the Deep:
Davy Jones
, the ferryman of the dead

Dimity:
striped cotton fabric

Dividers:
a navigational instrument used to measure distances

Dolt:
idiot, fool

Double-shot:
two balls loaded into a cannon instead of one

Douse the tops and lay ’er in irons:
a command meant to bring a ship to a halt by way of reducing sail and facing the wind

Draughts:
the game of checkers

Drawing and quartering:
a punishment reserved for traitors, which included not only hanging, but cutting out the victim’s heart while it was still beating, then cutting the body into pieces and strewing it so that there was no grave, hence damning them

Drubbing:
beating, usually with some kind of club

Dueña:
Spanish for “governess”

Duff:
a steamed suet pudding with currants; often a Sunday treat in the Royal Navy

Dunnage:
baggage; gear

Dutch-built:
derogatory for something that is poorly built

Eight bells:
the number of rings (actually double rings) marking the end of a watch; it can mean either 4 or 8 am, Noon, 4 or 8 pm, or midnight

Eight bells of the morning watch:
8:00 am

Entry port:
opening in the
bulwark
at the top of the
accommodation ladder

Etui:
a small, often decorative case for sewing needles

Ewer:
large water pitcher

Falkirk:
battle during the Stuart Uprising

Fancy:
18
^th
century for “like,” “prefer,” “wish”

Fireship:
a ship set afire and then set adrift into an enemy vessel

First Watch:
8 pm to midnight

Fishwife:
annoying, hag-like woman

Flips of the glass:
time was kept by a 30-minute sandglass throughout the day

Flogging sail:
flapping

Fly-by-night:
lightweight sails (sometimes ratty)

Fop:
an overly ostentatious man; a dandy

Forecastle:
the raised foredeck

Forefoot:
leading edge of the
keel
; the
bow

Foregallant:
one of the higher sails on the foremast

Forepeak:
furthest point forward in the ship’s
hold
; inside the
bow

Forestay:
supports running forward of the masts; opposite of
backstay

Fortnight:
18
^th
century for “two weeks”

Fraymaker:
disturber of the peace

Fuddling:
drunken; confused

Full cover!:
command for sails

Fuses ’twixt the fingers:
pirate torture method of putting burning
slow-match
between the victim’s fingers

Galley:
ship’s kitchen

Gallowsy:
fit to be hung, criminally inclined

Give ease:
18
^th
century; allow one to relax; calming

Give quarter:
dating back to the knights, a pledge that if a ship was to surrender immediately, no one would be killed

Glass:
1) looking glass; 2) a sandglass, which was a ship’s only timepiece; 3) “a glass” meant the period of time lapsed through a glass

Go pear-shaped:
take a bad turn

Go to windward of:
be cautious of

Go toss yourself:
bring oneself off (sexual); hand job

Gob:
mouth

Grates:
hatch covers

Great cabin:
the large
aft
cabin, usually the captain’s cabin

Great guns:
cannon on a ship

Grog:
a mix of water, lime juice, and rum, the proportions depending on the ship

Gull-winged:
when the sails are loosely secured, so that they sag slightly

Gunner:
a member of the crew of a cannon (usually 6-8)

Guns spiked:
metal has been broken off in a cannon’s
touchhole
, rendering it useless

Gunwale:
topmost outside edge of the ship’s
hull

Hanging locker:
closet

Hauled his wind:
ran off

Hawley:
British army commander during the Stuart Uprising

Hawse:
heavy cable

Head:
the crew’s privy at the
bow
of the ship

Helm:
the ship’s wheel, or anywhere in the immediate vicinity

Helms a-lee:
part of a series of commands when a ship is being turned

Helmsman:
the man at the
helm

Hist, now:
“Quiet,” “shh!”

Hitch:
type of knot

Hock and heave:
a mode of punishment in which the victim’s hamstrings are sliced and then he is thrown overboard

Hogshead:
a cask for liquids

Hold:
lowest deck of a ship, usually used for storage

Holystone:
blocks of sandstone used for scouring the decks

Hooked on:
tied on

Horn lamp:
lantern with thin sheets of horn for a lens

Hove to:
surrender

’Hoy:
short for “ahoy;” a greeting

Hull down:
when the sails of a ship can be seen, but not the hull

Hull up:
the hull of the approaching ship is visible

Humours:
a reference to the belief that the body was ruled by four fluids: blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy

Irons:
1) shackles; manacles; 2) to “lay into irons” means to stall the ship’s motion

Iron-sick:
when bolts, nails, etc. are severely corroded by salt

Jack:
man, person, sailor

Jib:
triangular
headsail

Jib-boom:
long
spar
extending off the
bowsprit
to support the
jibs
and other rigging

Jimmy Bungs:
often the nickname for the ship’s barrelmaker (cooper)

Junk:
worn-out cables or ropes

Kedge:
anchors smaller than the Number One

Keel:
bottom of the ship

Keel-hauling:
a punishment of dragging a man under the ship from bow to stern.

Ken:
Scots for “know”

Kent:
Scots for “knew”

Kertch:
a large cloth (often decorative) worn around a woman’s neck and tucked into her bosom

Kevel:
sometimes called a “knighthead,” an anvil-shaped wood block used to secure ropes

Knacker’s:
18
^th
century for a boneyard

Knot:
increment of speed, a little under miles per hour

Laggardly:
18
^th
century for “lazy,” “slow,” “unhandy”

Land in her lee:
a point of safety, for the wind is likely to blow the damaged ship ashore

Land in our lee:
the wind pushed a ship sideways as well as forward, making land downwind (in the
lee
) a concern

Larboard:
to the left side of the ship (when looking toward the
bow
)

Larboard quarter astern:
to the left side and toward the rear quarter

Larbolins:
one of two work groups on the crew; see
starbolins

Lawn:
a fine linen fabric

Lead lines:
used to measure the depth of the water

Leddy:
Scots for “lady”

Lee:
downwind

Lee lurch:
a sudden sideways motion of the ship

Leech:
the vertical edge of a sail

Leeward:
downwind

Listing:
the lean of the ship from the pressure of the wind on the sails

Lobcock:
a bumpkin or blundering fool

Loch:
Scots for “lake”

Loggerhead:
iron bars that were heated, then used to melt tar

Long live Prince Charlie!:
Stuart Uprising cheer

Longboats:
launches; small boats used for hauling and going ashore

Long-jawed cordage:
old or worn ropes

Lout:
bumpkin or blundering fool

Luff:
1) flapping of a sail; 2) bring the ship into the wind, often to come to a halt

Magazine:
powder room

Mainmasthead:
top of the mainmast proper, topmasts often extending it

Manrope:
ropes strung simply for safety or convenience

Mantua-maker:
a maker of a certain type of dress

Mark me:
18
^th
century for “mark my words”

Master and commander:
a Navy rank; a reference to one who had a title and authority, but no ship

Master rogue:
an extremely offensive person who threatens harm to others

Match:
short for
slow-match

Mess:
meals

Mess area:
where the crew eats

Mess number:
the assigned seat; to “lose one’s mess number” meant to die

Mizzen:
the aftermost sail

Mizzen course:
the lowest and larges of the
mizzen
sails

Mizzen shrouds:
the ropes that give sideways support to the
mizzenmast

Mizzen stay:
the ropes that support front and back support to the
mizzenmast

Mizzenmast:
the furthest rear mast on a ship

Morgan and Bartholomew:
the original pirates who established The Pirate’s Code

Mump:
jerk, oaf, idiot

Muster book:
book listing the members of the crew

Mutton-fisted:
heavy-handed, awkward about something

Muy bien! Habla espanol:
“Very good! You speak Spanish.”

Night charlies:
hired night watchmen

Offscourings:
scumbags

Old Bailey:
London Court where many pirates were tried and hung

On the down roll:
firing a cannon when the ship is on the downward side of a wave, hence firing low on their opponent

On the rise:
opposite of
on the down roll

One for the sailmaker’s palm:
a body ready to be sewn into its hammock/shroud

Palm:
leather protector worn by swordsmen or sailmakers

Pastillas:
Spanish for “bricks” or “cakes”

Physick:
18
^th
century for “physician”

Physikan:
18
^th
century for “physician”

Pissdale:
an opening along the rail

Piss-vinegar:
drunk

Points (four, two, etc):
means to indicate direction, referring to the points on a compass

Poop deck:
a small raised deck behind the
quarterdeck

Port:
1) window or opening; 2) a harbor; 3) left side of a ship; 4) a kind of liquor

Pottle:
two quarts

Pounders (sixteen, eighteen, etc.):
reference to the size of a cannonball

Press-ganged:
essentially kidnapped by the Royal Navy

Prestopans:
one of the battles during the Stuart Uprising

Pricking the chart:
using the dividers while charting a course

Privy closet:
bathroom

Prize:
captured ship or loot

Prize Book:
a listing of everything taken, so that shares might be figured and kept track of

Providence:
18
^th
century for “God,” “luck,” “fortune,” “karma,” etc.

Prow:
front of a ship;
bow
;
forefoot