Rosalinda Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Love this website. I've been looking for references to help me with a piece of writing I'm doing...ok, I'll admit it...it's that damn POTC movie that inspired me to write a piece of (gulp) FanFic. OK, there, I said it. Forgive me. But I've always had a thing for pirates, and rum-guzzling, swaggering, slurring, dreadlocked, square-jawed pirates with a mouth full o' gold are my particular area of interest. But only if they line their eyes with black kohl. I'm no downstream pirate groupie. I could use some help if anyone is so inclined to participate. Need two things: First, particular pirate slang words and their meaning(s). I mean, does the word 'savvy' mean 'understand' or what? I'm assuming it is French in origin? Or should I keep my assumptions to a minimum. Second, how would a pirate captain give orders aboard his ship. I did a lot of reading on the website for The Rose, and learned a little about the different parts of the ship, like the quarterdeck, great cabin, galley, etc. etc. But how might a captian shout orders to his crew, other than "Man the sails" or "Swab the deck" or "Tie up that wench so I can plunder her at a more convenient time"...?!? You get the idea. Thanks to all for allowing me to lurk and spy and ask for help with stupid things. Okay, here's my big finish: AAARRRRGGGGHHHH! How'd that sound? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Angus MacVox Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 well you should check out the encyclopedia pyratica thread if ya haven't already, for sure: https://pyracy.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=316 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Frye Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 As a noun and a verb, savvy apparently comes from creole/pidgin English dialects (hence, perhaps the pirate association) from the Portuguese sabe/saber ("heknows"/"to know") which in turn derived form the Latin sapere, to be wise. (As in homo sapien). But the Latin root also carries the meaning of taste--to have knowledge and taste, which shows up in our savor and savory. Savvy? The usage is quite common in modern American English. As a verb, it means "to understand", or as a single-word question, it basically means "Got it?". As a noun, it means knowledge, but with the connotation of knowledge of a special sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Royaliste Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Holy shit! Now thar be a wordy pyrate!!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Sage Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Ahoy there! You could check out me own wee site for some very basic info, hope it points you in the right direction. Captain Sage Captain Sage Visit The Pirate's Realm and Blackbeard's Realm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalinda Posted July 28, 2003 Author Share Posted July 28, 2003 Thank you Angus, Deacon Frye, and Captain Sage! I really appreciate the response and direction. Savvy! God, I was born about 3 centuries too late! If only... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Frye Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 It occurred to me to look in the dictionary (Merriam-Webster). I appears that "savvy" made it's first appearance in written English in 1785, which indicates that it's unlikely "golden age" pirates would have been using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Frye Posted July 28, 2003 Share Posted July 28, 2003 Holy shit! Now thar be a wordy pyrate!!! They don't call me Deacon for nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Royaliste Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Personally, I've never even heard a pirate reference to savvy. Cowboys yes, pirates no. your date would confirm that. No usage in seamanship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalinda Posted July 29, 2003 Author Share Posted July 29, 2003 It occurred to me to look in the dictionary (Merriam-Webster).I appears that "savvy" made it's first appearance in written English in 1785, which indicates that it's unlikely "golden age" pirates would have been using it. Well, it does take several years for contemporary slang or "new" words and terms to make it into a dictionary, so I could see the possibility that the word "savvy" may have been used for any number of years before making its official appearance in a dictionary. It probably took a lot longer back then for words to become mainstreem enough to "make their first appearance in written English.: Just a theory...it is a fun word... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Royaliste Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 'Ere's an ole Whaleship lore tibit- hows'bout 'Gam'? Anyone?----When two Whaleships pased each other in cruisin' waters(South Pacific), well, it was a bit 'o party time! The ships would backwind, layto a while, hop back 'n forth 'tween the vessels, includin' Captains and first mates, and party hearty, square up, catch wind, and sail on! the whole experience was a 'Gam' :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capt. Westyn Elizabeth Roberts Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Royaliste: I honestly don't know about nautical relations, but here's a go... "Gam" in older movies often meant "leg". Like in a 1930-1950 movie that referred to "the gal with the great gams"... So, I can only assume that if it was party time when two ships met and they called it a gam, my guess is that it was a "kick"? It could be something else, but that's my deduction. Then again, it could be an English slang. Like "fag" is a cigarette. Sometimes in American English a word could mean something TOTALLY different than it does in Britain's English. Capt. WE Roberts "I shall uphold my indignity with the utmost dignity befitting a person of my undignified station." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalesOfTheSevenSeas Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 Here are a couple of excellent pages on nautical terminology from the age of sailing ships. This one is my personal fav... It is surprising how much of our everyday modern language has nautical roots- For example, being "three sheets to the wind", "to the bitter end" and "letting the cat out of the bag" come from old sailing terms! Check it out, it's very interesting stuff! Nautical Expressions in the Vernacular On this page you can learn to "bleed the monkey" or "suck the monkey" in addition to discovering what "spooning" is, among other interesting things... Peter Green's Nautical Terminology On this page, which is "pirate speak" you can learn what it means when you "have a nipperkin" then go out and "crack Jenny's teacup" Pirate Speak And this page is excellent and another favorite of mine for helping our pirates to develop a not only a piratical accent, but it explains pirate dialect- for example, instead of saying. "I'll send you to the bottom of the ocean!" You would say "Arrrrrrrrr!!! I'll send ye to the bottom o' the ocean I will!!" This page even has audio files to help you bring out your inner pirate: Pirate Dialect -Claire "Poison Quill" Warren Pyrate Mum of Tales of the Seven Seas www.talesofthesevenseas.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Royaliste Posted July 29, 2003 Share Posted July 29, 2003 I might accept the later era stealing it. But alla the Whaleships did this exclusively, not the commercial shipping, navies, etc. Just whalers.Fact Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolie Rouge Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 Exclusiveness ta whalers aside, it makes sense, "why don't we gam (hoof it, leg it) over ta that boat, an' 'ave a we bit o' a party." Or maybe, "why don't we go ta that whaler o'er there, 'an 'ave a bit o' a gam (Legs=dance=dance=party)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the Royaliste Posted July 30, 2003 Share Posted July 30, 2003 :) Aye! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Frye Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 The term was also used to denote a school or pod of whales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Maria Posted July 31, 2003 Share Posted July 31, 2003 It occurred to me to look in the dictionary (Merriam-Webster).I appears that "savvy" made it's first appearance in written English in 1785, which indicates that it's unlikely "golden age" pirates would have been using it. I double checked this in the OED and it gave the same date. I have been told that rule of thumb when determining when a word was first used is take the first printed reference and subtract 50 years more or less from that date. Given this the word savvy may have been in use as early as 1735 thus making it in use at the tail end of the Golden Age of Piracy. Red Maria The Soul of Indecency Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosalinda Posted August 4, 2003 Author Share Posted August 4, 2003 Yous guys are a wealth of information. Thanks to all of you for your help! Cheers! Rosalinda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scy Posted August 11, 2003 Share Posted August 11, 2003 I might be a tad late, but: Savvy, by modern definition doesn't necissarily mean that it meant the same back then. In fact, the word could have been warped from another meaning something entirely different. Really you have to look at few of the sayings today and just wonder. Ex. 'You can't beat a dead horse.' (I was suprised by one of the theories behind this one.) My suggestion would be to take a couple more looks at that movie and try to see what the script writer was, and have fun! Lord knows I'm no linguistics savvy. Scy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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