Long trips at sea, hard work and no companionship meant that sailors had a lot of evening hours with nothing to do... so drinking for many became a pastime. These terms are just a few of the larger Pirate Speak article.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ale | A fermented alcoholic beverage containing malt and hops, similar but heavier than beer. |
| black jack | large drinking cup made of leather and stiffened with tar |
| carouser | One who drinks wassail and engages in festivity, especially riotous drinking. |
| clap of thunder | A strong, alcoholic drink. |
| Crack a bottle | To open or uncork a bottle. |
| draught | (also draft) (1) The amount taken in by a single act of drinking. (2) The drawing of a liquid, as from a cask or keg. |
| grog | (see also spirits) An alcoholic liquor, made from watered down rum and latterly sour fruit juice. It was to ward off scurvy, and minimize the amount of alcohol a man would imbibe. Admiral Vernon is said to have been the first to dilute the rum of sailors. |
| grog blossom | A redness on the nose or face of persons who drink ardent spirits to excess. |
| hogshead | (1) A large cask used mainly for the shipment of wines and spirits. (2) A unit of measurement equal to approximately one hundred gallons. |
| loaded to the gunwall | To be drunk. |
| Mead | An alcoholic beverage containing fermented honey. |
| Nelsons folly | Another name for Rum. |
| nipperkin | A small cup or drink. |
| rum | An intoxicating beverage, specifically an alcoholic liquor distilled from fermented molasses or sugar cane. |
| Scotch | A whiskey distilled from malted barley. So named because it originate in Scotland. |
| Shake a cloth in the wind. | To be dipsy or only a little drunk. |
| splice the mainbrace | An order given aboard ships to issue the crew with a drink of rum or grog; To have a drink or perhaps several drinks. |
| spirits | alcoholic beverages; particularly distilled liquor |
| squiffy | Somewhat intoxicated; tipsy. |
| Three Sheets to the Wind | To be completely drunk. |