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In honor of this important occasion, permit me to offer some borrowed tips on proper pirate lingo:

Ye Olde Pirate-to-English Dictionary and Useful Phrasebook

How many times has this happened to you? A pirate comes up to you on the street, and...

Pirate: Ahoy, matey! Have ye seen me heap o' scurvy mates a-walkin' nearby?

You: I'm sorry, what?

Pirate: Aaargh, me mates. One scallywag with a peg leg what he got in an unfortunate plank-walkin' incident , and one rum cove, no landlubber he, with a parrot. The parrot wears an eyepatch.

You (ashamed): I... I'm sorry, I don't understand.

Pirate (sadly): aaargh...

So, to help avoid this embarrassment, we here at Between the Lions are pleased to provide this handy Pirate-to-English Dictionary and Useful Phrasebook. Enjoy!

Aaargh: Much like the Hawaiian "aloha," it can mean hello, good-bye, or even, "Pardon me, I believe my hook is caught in your sweater."

Ahoy: Hey!

Avast: Stop!

Aye: Yes.

Barnacle: A small creature that attaches to a boat's hull. See also "scallywag."

Bonny: Pretty.

Booty: Treasure of any sort. "Booty" should be pronounced "booo-teee," and treasure should be pronounced "tray-sure."

Bunk: Bed.

Cove: A man.

Crow's Nest: A little place to sit, high atop the mainmast.

Galley: The ship's kitchen.

Grog: A pirate's favorite drink.

Grub: Food.

Jolly Roger: The skull-and-crossbones flag on any self-respecting pirate's ship.

Landlubber: Someone not used to life onboard a ship.

Lass: A woman.

Matey: A shipmate or a friend.

Me: My. As in, "I can't find me parrot. Where could he be?"

Parrot: A pirate's best friend.

Peg leg: A wooden fake leg used when the actual leg was missing. (Sometimes two-legged pirates wore one "just to fit in," due to what was called "pier pressure.")

Piece of eight: Money.

Rum: Good. Usually used in the phrase "rum cove" (a good man).

Scallywag: A bad person. A scoundrel.

Scrimshaw: A popular high-seas art form. A picture is etched into ivory, and then rubbed with ink to make it more visible.

Scurvy: A disease that people at sea sometimes had if they ate no fresh vegetables. Also, a good word to stick in front of "scallywag."

Swab the deck: To clean the deck of a ship. "Swab" just means "to clean."

Thar: The opposite of "here." "Thar she blows!" means "There it is!"

Ye: You or your. Also "the," as in Ye Olde Booty Parlor, where all the fashionable pirates went to get their hair done.

Yo-ho-ho: Pirate laughter.

And now, here are some examples of how YOU can bring pirate speak into your everyday world:

Aaargh! Ye can't make me swab me room before grub time.
(Aw, do I HAVE to clean my room before dinner?)

Aaargh, do ye have some pieces of eight so I might get some grog?
(Can I borrow some money for soda?)

Ahoy, matey! Thar she blows! Yo-ho-ho!
(Hey! There it is! Hee-hee-hee!)

Avast, scallywag! Ye barnacle! Remove thyself from the galley, and release me buried treasure. Aaargh!
(Stop right there, come out of the kitchen now, and get your hands off my piece of cake.)

The two most important things to remember:

You can always add "aaargh" to any sentence to piratize it.
Have fun with it! There is no wrong way to speak Pirate.