The Pirate Dictionary

by Terry Breverton

Book Overview

Reading through these words and phrases is an abbreviated trip through history, with lists of major naval mutinies, a summary of the slave trade, and even jokes. This dictionary is written to be entertaining as well as informative, to give a flavor of the interesting times from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries when pirates controlled many sea lanes. It also contains a treasure trove of factual information about life aboard the ship, important...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589802438
• ISBN13: 9781589802438
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing Company
• Length: 189 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Aaargh matey, just the ticket

I love the sea, ships, sailor's life, pirates etc. This book is well researched and very entertaining. Cheers, matey

Intriguing and informative info abot Pirates

This is such a fun book! The author has a wonderful sense of humor and is well versed in all the little nuances that went into being a pirate. I'm writing a novel about pirates and have found everything I need here to get the authinticity I need. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves pirate lore!

nifty little gem

Quite a nifty little book, just wish it had "more". It's a delightful find for pirate fans or historical writers, with a lot of great pirate terms, a lot tidbit of information on pirate related stuff. Great for people wanting trivia or for really adding color to your pirate novel. However, gem that it is, some problems in editing, simple stuff that should have been caught. It provides origins of the phrases, many that have passed into common usage that people don't even stop to consider. All in all, a worthwhile treat!

Pirates

Great book, lots of interesting facts and descriptions. For anyone who likes Pirates, this is the gift for them!

A unique and impressively informative linguistic study

Left together on ships for months or years, pirates developed their own expressions which moved into common usage: just consider sea terms such as 'don't rock the boat', or 'know the ropes', to understand the impact of pirate lingo on even today's life. The words and phrases described herein offer a healthy set of insights into word origins and pirate history alike. Pirate Dictionary is a unique and impressively informative linguistic study which is recommended for Language Studies reference collections, as well as simple browsing by the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the evolution of popular English and American slang.