September's A Pirate's Life for Me Reading Challenge

 

September 19th is Talk like a Pirate day and in honor of the holiday, here's a challenge that can get ye ready. Argh!

Levels of Play:
Landlubber: Read 1 - 3 books 

Cabin Boy: Read 4 - 6 books 

Pirate: Read 7 - 9 books 

First Mate: Read 10 - 12 books 

Captain: Read 13 or more books 

Rules of Play: 

◈ Option 1 - Read-It: Read books with a pirate on the cover, a character who dresses as a pirate, has a pirate theme, has a Skull and crossbones, or somehow can be linked to pirates. 

◈ Option 2 - Spell-It-Out: Choose a term or phrase from Pirate Lingo list found farther down in the challenge, then read books to spell out the word(s) using the first letter in the book's title, the first letter in the series, the first letter in the author's first or last name, or the first letter of a character's first, last, or nick-name. As always, if the first letter of a title starts with an indefinite or definite article ('A', 'An', 'The', etc.), you may use the first letter of the second word in the title to spell out your chosen word. 

Example of a Spell-It-Out
S  - Stevenson; Robert Louis author of  Treasure Island
W - Watership Down by Richard Adams
A - Anita Blake; a character in Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
G - Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

◈ Option 3 - Word-It-Out: Choose one or more phrases from Pirate Lingo listed farther down in the challenge. Using only one word from the title of each book you read, connect it to a word in the phrase(s) you selected. If you know of other pirate lingo, feel free to use your own phrase for the challenge. **Also, any book with the word Pirate in the title can be used as a wild card to replace one word in a phrase that is difficult to come by. Only one wild card per phrase.

Example of a Word-It-Out:
Phrase: Clap of Thunder
Clap - The Sound of One Hand Clapping by Richard Flanagan
of - The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Thunder - Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen

◈ Option 4 - Any combination of options 2 & 3.

◈ Option 5 - Write-It-Out: Write a pirate themed story using the titles of the books you read. You may, if you desire, include pirate lingo. It's up to you.

Example of a Write-It-Out:

It was Love at First Sight. The moment he saw her, he knew. "No One Else Can Have You," he thought. "Ye be Only Mine. Any who get in me way will walk the plank." A Pirate's Love is usually not easily garnered nor is he easily dissuaded once his mind is made up.

The first time she say him, she thought him a Handsome Devil, but quickly disregarded him. Perhaps that was A Grave Mistake. He was the type who always garnered attention and her blatant refusal to acknowledge him screamed, "Catch Me If You Can."

He followed her and when the time was right, he'd Stake His Claim. As he watched, two men approached her and attempted an Abduction. He realized The Rescue he was about to make would work in his favor.

A Storm of Swords ensued, but in the end he'd won. "Come Away With Me," he said. "Be me Lady Pirate."

Well, she said, "Heroes Are My Weakness."

And they lived Happily Ever After. The End.

Pirate Lingo

◈A◈

Addled - Crazy or stupid. 

Addlepate - fool.

Aft - Short for "after"; toward the stern (back) of a ship.

Ahoy - Hello!
All hands on deck! - something said when everyone's help is needed, especially when a lot of work must get done  in a short amount of time
Arr!/Arg! - Really has no meaning but can be used to intimidate people.
Avast! - Stop!

Aye - Yes 

Aye, aye captain! - Yes, Captain!

◈B◈

Bandanna - A Square piece of cloth worn on head and tied in back.

Batten - A stiff strip used to support the roach of a sail, enabling increased sail area or any thin strip of material (wood, plastic etc) which can be used any number of ways

Batten down the hatches - securing the closed hatch covers with wooden battens so as to prevent water from entering from any angle and tie everything down that could float away because a storm is a brew'n

Begad! - By God!

Belay

- Make fast a line around a fitting, usually a cleat or belaying pin 

- Secure a climbing person in a similar manner  

- order to halt a current activity or countermand an order prior to execution.  ie A request to 

Belay that talk! - Shut up!

Bilge! - Nonsense, rubbish, or foolish talk. The bilges of a ship are the lowest parts, inside the hull along the keel. They fill with stinking bilge water—or just "bilge".

Bilge-pump - a pump to draw the bilge water from the bilge of a ship.

Bilge Water - water which collects in the bilge or bottom of a ship or other vessel. It is often allowed to remain till it becomes very offensive.

Black Spot - Death marked.

Blow me down! - Expression of shock, disbelief, and dismay.

Blow the man down - Order to kill.

Blimey! - An exclamation of surprise.

Boatswain - Person in charge of hull maintenance and related work.

Booty - Valuable items taken/stolen

Bosun - Boatswain, a petty officer. 

Bounty - A reward or payment

Buccaneer - a pirate

Bucko - Friend  

◈C◈

Cap'n - Short for captain

Cat o'nine tails - a rope whip with nine knotted cords, formerly used (especially at sea) to flog offenders.

Chantey - A sailor's lyrical work song. Also spelled "shantey" or "shanty."

Clap of Thunder - A strong drink.

Cleave him to the brisket - to cut across the chest, from one shoulder to the lower abdomen

Corsair - A more romantic term for pirate in the Mediterranean Sea, but still a pirate none the less.

Crow's nest - A small platform atop the mast where the lookout stands

Cutlass - A short heavy curved bladed sword used by pirates

Cutthroat - A murderer or violent criminal

◈D◈

Davy Jones' locker - The bottom of the sea. Final resting place.

Deadlights - Eyes.
Dead men tell no tales - Standard pirate excuse for leaving no survivors; famous quote from the book Treasure Island
Deck - a flat surface that forms the main outside floor of a boat or ship
Dog - Being compared to a dog. Unlike today, it's considered a mild insult

Doubloon - A Spanish gold coin. 

◈E◈

Eagle/Spread Eagle - A punishment where the offender is tied hand and foot to the rigging and left there for a while.

Earring

St. Elmo’S Fire - Weather phenomena in which occasionally appears during thunderstorms on ships creating a bright blue or violet glow

Eye of the Wind -  Where the wind is blowing from.

Eye Patch 

◈F◈

Fair winds! - A wish for good winds and good weather for sailing

Feed the fish - What happens when you are thrown into the sea, dead or alive.

Fore or forrard - Toward the front end of the ship.

Flogging - A form of punishment by caning or whipping with the cat-o-nine tails

◈G◈

Gangway! - Get out of the way!

Godspeed! - An expression of good wishes for someone about to start a journey

Grub - Food

◈H◈

Hands - The crew of a ship; sailors.

Handsomely - Quickly. 

Handsomely now, men! - Hurry up!

High seas - the open ocean, especially that not within any country's jurisdiction

Hornswaggle - Bamboozle/cheat/Swindle 

◈I◈ 

Ill-gotten - acquired by illegally or by unfair means

Infamous - well known for doing something bad

Island 

◈J◈

Jack Ketch - Infamous executioner aka The hangman. To dance with Jack Ketch is to hang.

Jewels

Jollyboat - A small water craft sometimes called a dinghy.

Jolly Roger - The pirates' skull-and-crossbones flag. It was an invitation to surrender, with the implication that those who surrendered would be treated well. A red flag indicated "no quarter."

◈K◈

Keelhaul - Punishment of being dragged under the ship's keel, from one side to the other. 

Kiss/Marry/Hug the gunner's daughter - A punishment: to be bent over one of the ship's guns and flogged.

◈L◈

Lad - From of address for a young boy.
Lass - Form of  address for a young girl.

Landlubber 'lubber' - A non-sailor. 

Larboard - A now obsolete term for the left side of a ship. Derived from "lay-board" providing access between a ship and a quay, when ships normally docked with the left side to the wharf. Replaced by port side or port, to avoid confusion with starboard.

Letters of Marque - letters issue from governments during wartime to privateers endorsing the piracy of another vessel

Line - A rope in use as part of the ship's rigging, or as a towing line. When a rope is just coiled up on deck, not yet being used for anything, it's all right to call it a rope.

Lookout - A person who watches an area and warns others if there is danger.

◈M◈

Maroon - A  common punishment for violating orders in which a person is left stranded on deserted , island or spot of land with little or no supplies.

Matey - friend of the same sex

Man-O-War - pirate's ship outfitted for battle

Matey - friendly form of address for a male friend or fellow shipmate.

Me - My

Me hearties - My Crew. A way a pirate captain may address his crew.

Mizzen - third mast from the bow of the ship on ships that have three or more masts

Mutiny - an open rebellion against the person in authority like the captain.

◈N◈

No quarter! - Surrender will not be accepted. In other words, you'll all be killed if you don't get away.

◈O◈

Old Salt - an experienced sailor or pirate

Overboard - going over the side of a ship or boat. 

◈P◈

Pieces of eight - Spanish silver coins each worth one peso or 8 reales. It was sometimes literally cut into eight pieces, each worth one real.

Pillage - To raid, rob, and sack 

Pirate - A seagoing robber/murderer. Not to be mistaken for a privateer.

Poop deck - The highest deck at the aft end of a large ship.

Poxy, poxed - Diseased. Used to insult.

Privateer - government sponsored pirate

◈Q◈

Quarter  - Merciful consideration of an opponent; the clemency of not killing a defeated enemy.

Quarterdeck - The upper level of a ship's deck that is located toward the rear of the ship and that is used mainly by officers

Quay - A concrete, metal, or stone platform jutting out into or alongside the water used for loading and unloading ships (like a wharf or dock)

Quayside  

-  An area alongside a quay.

-  Having the attribute of being alongside a quay, e.g., "The ship is moored quayside."

◈R◈

Run a shot across the bow - warning shot to another vessel's captain

Rope's end - Another term for flogging. "Ye'll meet the rope's end for that!"

Rum - A traditional pirate drink.

◈S◈

Sail ho! - I see a ship! 

Salt, old salt - An experienced seaman or pirate.

Saucy - An adjective usually paired with wench. It means she can banter with the best of them and give as good as she gets.

Scallywag - A mild insult akin to scoundrel 

Scurvy 

- A deficiency disease caused by lack of vitamin C, often afflicting sailors who are at sea for long periods with no access to foods high in vitamin C 

- Used to insult;  "Ye scurvy dogs!"

Scuttle - To cut or open a hole or holes in a ship's hull or to sink a ship by this means.

Sea Dog - An old experienced seaman.

Shanty - Another spelling for "chantey" - a sea song sung by pirates and sailors alike while working.

Shark bait  

- Your foes, who are about to die by your hand

- A worthless, lazy, or useless sailor not worth his weight in salt

Shipshape - cleaned up and under control

Shiver me timbers! - An expression of surprise or strong emotion.

Sink me! - An expression of surprise.

Skull and Crossbones - a representation of a skull with two thigh bones crossed below it as an emblem of piracy or death

Smartly - Quickly. "Smartly there, men!" means "Hurry up!"

Son of a Biscuit Eater - insult directed towards someone you don't like

Splice the mainbrace - An order given on ship to let the crew have one or more drinks

Spoils - goods stolen or taken forcibly from a person or place

Spyglass - A telescope

Starboard - The right side of the ship when you are facing toward her prow

Stern - The rear of a ship

Swab

(noun) A disrespectful term for a seaman. "Do what you're told, ye cowardly swabs!"

(verb) To clean something. "Swabbing the decks" would be a mild penalty for a disobedient pirate

Swag - Loot of any kind that a pirate values

Swashbuckler - a swaggering and or daring adventurer

◈T◈

Thar - There

Thar she blows! - Whale sighting usually in reference to them spouting water through their blowhole while surfacing.

Three sheets to the wind - Someone who is very drunk.

Treasure - What pirates want

◈U◈

Upper Deck - The highest deck running the full length of the ship.

◈W◈

Walk the plank - Punishment in which person walks off a board jutting over the side of the ship while at sea. The consequence is drowning.

Weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen! - Pull up the anchor and put up the sail so we can set sail

Wench - A female

◈X◈

X marks the spot - The place on a map that the treasure is buried.

◈Y◈

Ye - You

Yo ho ho - has no true meaning but indicates a pirate is in a good mood.

◈Z◈

Zenith - The highest point in the sky directly above a person or location

I just realized I didn't site my sources. I am so sorry. The above list was comprised of words commonly found (and I admit a couple not so common ones) from the following websites. Many of which can be found on several of the lists. Here they are:

http://www.tide-mark.com/pirate_dict.html
http://reference.yourdictionary.com/resources/pirate-terms-phrases.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_nautical_terms
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/wordlist/pirate.shtml
http://www.puzzlepirates.com/Vocabulary.xhtml
http://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/thesaurus-category/british/Parts-of-boats-and-ships
http://www.pirateglossary.com/Namecalling.html
I also used the dictionary on terms that seemed to have conflicting definitions.