Community Corner
Arrrr, It's the 10th International Talk-Like-a-Pirate Day
Yes, it's silly, and yes, it's awesome. Why not do yourself a favor and join in the fun, ye bilge rats.
Avast ye swabs, just a reminder that Sept. 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
If you're not talking like a pirate, you're missing out, landlubber.
Two former Oregon residents , Mark "Cap'n Slappy" Summers and John "Ol' Chumbucket" Baur, began talking that way for fun in 1995 during a game of racquetball.
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But it wasn’t until they mentioned the idea to humor columnist Dave Barry and he wrote about it in a 2002 humor column, that the idea went viral.
The holiday's popularity has allowed "the Pirate Guys" to make a living writing pirate books and selling pirate-themed merchandise.
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Me hearties, the Talk Like a Pirate Website answers the question on everyone's mind when they first hear about the holiday: Why?
"Why not?" the Pirate Guys write in the website's FAQ page. "Talking like a pirate is fun. It's really that simple. It adds a zest, a swagger, to your every day conversation. Do you need another reason? Try it out. Let go, have a beer, burp in public. Say 'Aarrr!!' Feels good, doesn't it?"
And if you don't know much about pirate phrases, the guys have got you covered.
Apparently, it all comes down to the “five A's."
"These exclamations are the glue that binds together pirate lingo," according to a 2009 press release on the website.
Here's the list, courtesy the Pirate Guys.
- Avast – Stop and give attention. (It can be used in a sense of surprise.)
- Ahoy – Hello!
- 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.
- Arr –
"This one is often confused with arrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin.) 'Arr!' can mean, variously, 'Yes,' 'I agree,' I'm happy,' 'I'm enjoying this beer,' 'My team is winning,' 'My team is losing,' ... 'I am here and alive' and 'That was a clever remark you or I just made.' And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of 'Arrr!'"
Please note, animal lovers, Talk Like a Parrot Day is something different.
Oh, and for good measure, arrrrrr.
