Anchor
ring: a metallic ring which is used to moor a ship.
Beggars of the sea: the
name given to the Dutch privateers plundering Spanish vessels.
Black gold: refers to
black slaves who come from Africa and who were sold in America.
Bout-de-bois : nickname
given to a carpenter on a ship.
Bow: front end of the
vessel.
Branle-bas:
literally "outside the hammock." At this cry, everyone must return to
his manoeuvre post or combat (in this case cries out “branle-bas
combat”).
Buccaneer: adventurer
living in the forest of Caribbean,
the Buccaneer hunts game with his long gun and smokes the meat on
wooden frames, “boucans”, so that it could be saved for a later time.
He often goes with pirates in their raids on the mainland and even
decides to embark on one of their boats.
Corasair
: in the service of the king, the privateer had received from him a
stamped letter authorizing him to attack the enemy ship. The loot
gained is split between the privateer and the Crown.
Crow's-nest : a platform or shelter for a lookout at near the top of a mast.
Freswater
sailor : mediocre sailor, without
experiences.
Game cage : iron cage in which the bodies of
the
pirates were confined and exhibited after the hanging in order to warn
possible
candidates to piracy. The bodies remained several months broken down by
drying in the sun. This is what happened to the hapless captain named
Kidd.
Grog : hot
drink made of water, rum and sugar.
Helmsman :
a
person who steers a ship.
Hunting
party : code of good practice for pirates; the
hunting party provides
punishment, sharing the booty, and
even compensation for serious
injuries. It is voted by the whole crew.
Hoist
ho! : Order or
encouragement to hoist the sails.
Jolly Roger : the
famous flag with the skull.
K
Keel :
lower hull that provides stability.
Knot : unit of speed
equal to one nautical mile
per hour.
Longitude :
angular distance between a place and some prime meridian.
Mathurin : nickname of seamen.
Mille
sabords ! : sailor's swearword.
Moorings : ropes use to fasten the
ship.
Morbleu ! : famous
swearword of the XVIIe
century.
Old sea dog : an old or experienced sailor.
Pas
de
quartier! : announces that no ennemy will survive in combat. an
Pirate :
a
person who robs or commits illegal violence at sea or on the shores of
the sea.
Poop
deck: superstructure at the stern of the ship,
raised from one side to another. It housed the officers and VIPs.
Port : the left-side of a ship
when looking at the bow.
Ready
about! : to get ready to manoeuvre.
Red
flag : means that the battle is to be ruthless and
no prisoner will be made.
Ride : small rope used to reach a rope greatest.
Rudder : apparatus that allows controlling the direction following the ship.
.
Sailor:
a
person whose occupation is sailing.
Scuppers: hole
that
allows water to escape on deck.
Scuttle: in
the hull of a ship, where we open up
cannon.
Skimmers
sea:
nickname given to the pirate in the
Stay:
rope which
keeps a mast.
Stifle
a sail:
tightened against the mast to prevent him from taking the wind.
Strand
: a single filament such as a fiber or thread that
are plainted or twisted together to form a rope.
.
To bale out : remove
water that is at the bottom of the vessel.
To cast off : leave the
quay to put off to sea.
To
change
course : to change direction.
To
furl : tighten a sail around a spar (yard, boom, mast).
To
go down :
to sink, to disappear under the water.
To rig out : lifting anchor.
To scuttle : voluntarily
sink his own ship, for
example, to escape the enemy.
To
sound :
to measure the depth of water by dipping a light rope.
To tack, to
change tack : to change armour.
.