Before diving into the facts, here’s a quick guide to perfecting your pirate lingo. Remember to say “ye” instead of "you" and “me” when normal English would have you say "my." When talking to your friends about your newfound pirate knowledge, be sure to refer to them as your “matey.” Now that “ye” have your lingo all set, here are five facts to help you become an official “Old Salt” of the sea.
1. Although movies often depict pirate ships as massive, in reality they were actually small in order to increase speed and agility on the open sea.
2. Think you’ll make your enemies walk the plank? Pirates actually didn’t actually use this method to dispose of prisoners. Instead they did the deed quickly or, if they wanted to drag it out, left them stranded on a remote island.
3. Pirates didn’t steal “dubloons,” but rather raided ships for more survival-based items such as food, clothes, tools and medicine. 4. Eyepatches were used by pirates for a much more practical reason than covering wounds or looking tough. Eyepatches allowed pirates to keep one eye adjusted to the dark at all times, allowing for better vision at night and below deck.
5. Although piracy by definition is thievery, some civilizations, such as the Greeks, considered piracy to be an honorable profession.
