Avast! Be ye prepared for tomorrow? Be ye ready to trade salty insults with mumping dogs across the seven seas? Basically, what we be talkin' about be this: did you know that tomorrow's International Talk Like A Pirate Day?

Across the globe, ordinary people will spend Wednesday conversing in the manner of a pirate, in a glorious celebration of all things piratical.

Talk Like A Pirate Day started in 1995, when two friends from the American colonies, John Baur and Mark Summers, decided that talking like a pirate was excellent and that it deserved its own day.

Pirate to Not Pirate Phrasebook:

Ahoy! - Hello

Avast! - Oi, you!

Yarrrr! - Used to intensify the previous statment, e.g. 'I quite fancy a cup of tea. Yaarrrr!'

Arrrr! - Innit (see also)

Dog - Person who is disapproved of

Lubber, Landlubber - One who is not a seaman, an incompetent person (c.f. Muggle)

Mumping villain - see 'Dog'

Slab-sided bugger - see 'Dog'

Wretched scrofulous whoreson bilge rat - see 'Dog'

Splice the mainbrace - What you say to make people do something on a ship

Luff, me hearties! - What you say when 'splice the mainbrace' doesn't work

Aye - Aiiee

Yo ho - Hello woman

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=66631&in_page_id=2

Blackbeard faces Robert Maynard

The site that started it all:

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

Pirates attack Havanna

International Talk Like a Pirate Day (TLAPD), which adopted Treasure Island star Robert Newton as its patron saint, now attracts fans from as far afield as Britain and Australia and even boasts a special Wikipedia site on the Internet.

The day even has its own unofficial anthem -- American Tom Smith has written and recorded "Talk Like a Pirate Day" -- and Canadian sketch comedy troupe Loading Ready Run produced an educational video on how to swashbuckle with the best of them.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKL1888712020070918?rpc=401&

When Pirates seized monks, hilarity reigned!

Do you live in Seattle? Then get in on the Pirate Parties!

http://pirates.meetup.com/111/calendar/6376562/

A prisoner is forced to drink to excess

September 19 is Talk Like A Pirate Day, but in New Orleans it won’t be the only time to celebrate all things piratical. The organizers of PyrateCon 2008, to be held in New Orleans April 18-20, 2008, are taking advantage of the holiday to raise awareness of next year’s pirate convention.

So what do pirates do at a convention? Among other things, they learn about pirate history and literature from scholars and authors, compare tips on pirate costume creation, buy, sell, and trade pirate themed merchandise, attend rum tastings, and watch pirate movies. They also invade the French Quarter, parade down Bourbon Street, pARRHty heARRHty, and even raise money for charity.

And, they mingle with stars from all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies, including Marty Kleba, Isaac C. Singleton, Jr., Vince Lozano, Lauren Maher, Vanessa Branch, and Treva Etienne, with others in discussion with the organizers about participating.

http://www.free-press-release-center.info/pr00000000000000007070.html

Where Blackbeard was killed

Here are the facts and myths about Pirates!

http://www.piratesinfo.com/

The true story of Henry Morgan the pirate http://tv-links.co.uk/listings/9/5574

There were hundreds of Chinese female pirates. Whole families of pirates lived at sea, including mothers, wives, daughters! Here is a list of some of the most famous female pirates! http://www.deadmentellnotales.com/onlinetexts/womenlist.shtml

Get your Anne Bonny action figure here: http://camelot-treasures.com/pirate/index.htm

Anne Bonny and crossdresser Mary Read are the most famous female pirates http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Bonny

Blackbeard's skull! The golden age of piracy http://www.cindyvallar.com/goldenage.html

Blackbeard the pirate! http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pirates/bbeard.html

BEST SITE OF THE DAY:

Captain Kidd- and the hunt for his treasure!

 http://www.captainkidd.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/