News In The Hebden Bridge List

International Talk Like A Pirate Day 2009

Avast, me hearties! For the seventh year running, thousands of people around the world will be celebrating International Talk Like A Pirate Day on Saturday 19th September. And what was once just a goofy idea celebrated by a handful of friends has turned into an international phenomenon that shows no sign of letting up. From South Africa to the South Pole, from New York to the Pacific Northwest, many thousands have made the day their own personal excuse to party like pirates.

Last year, the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity was one of many UK organisations incorporating the event into their fund-raising activities. The charity does amazing work to make it possible for cancer patients to be cared for at home. Whilst across the pond in New York, a concert took place in Madison Square Garden with Jimmy Buffet encouraging fans to observe the day with a few “Arrrrs!” of his own.

Here are some quick tips from the International Talk Like A Pirate Day website, to help you celebrate the day in good style:

The basics
Pirate lingo is rich and complicated, sort of like a good stew. There are several other sites that offer glossaries that are pretty good, and you can find some of them on our links page.

But if you just want a quick fix, a surface gloss, a “pirate patina,” if you will, here are the five basic words that you cannot live without. Master them, and you can face Talk Like a Pirate Day with a smile on your face and a parrot on your shoulder, if that’s your thing.

• Ahoy! – “Hello!”

• Avast! – Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, “Whoa! Get a load of that!” which today makes it more of a “Check it out” or “No way!” or “Get off!”

• Aye! – “Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did.”

• Aye aye! – “I’ll get right on that sir, as soon as my break is over.”

• Arrr! – This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. “Arrr!” can mean, variously, “yes,” “I agree,” “I’m happy,” “I’m enjoying this beer,” “My team is going to win it all,” “I saw that television show, it sucked!” and “That was a clever remark you or I just made.” And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

To find out more about past events and how you can prepare yourself for the big day on September 19th, take a wander over to the International Talk Like A Pirate Day website