September 18, 2021

WEEKLY MENU 09.19.21

Avast ye! We’re celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day during the Weekly Menu 09.19.21. Savvy?

The Weekly Menu 09.19.21 starts out with a bang (or, more likely, a cutlass slash) because we’re celebrating “International Talk Like a Pirate Day”. It is a little hard to believe that there’s a day for that, but thank goodness for it, huh?

I should have convinced the boys to dress like pirates for Halloween (instead of Spider-Man) then we’d have gotten a twofer when they dressed for September 19th. (Affiliate links precede and follow. See Disclaimer Page for details.)

Pirate Terms & Phrases via reference.yourdictionary.com

Pirate Greetings and Exclamations

Learn to say “hello” the pirate way!

ahoy – hello
Avast ye! – Stop you!; pay attention!
blimey – something said when one is in a state of surprise
heave ho – instruction to put some strength into whatever one is doing
Savvy? – a question that means, “Do you understand?”
Shiver me timbers! – an expression used to show shock or disbelief
Sink me! – an exclamation of great surprise
yo ho ho – possibly from yo-heave-ho, a chant when doing strenuous work, but also can be used to call attention to the speaker

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY…

Pirate Insults, Threats, and Dark Omens

Need to threaten or insult someone in pirate lingo?

bilge-sucking – an insult indicating someone drank dirty bilge water from the bottom of the ship
black spot – a death threat (found in Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson)
blow the man down – it possibly means getting knocked to the ground or killed (found in a 19th-century sea shanty)
cleave him to the brisket – cut a man nearly in half with a sword
dance with Jack Ketch – to hang (Jack Ketch was slang for the hangman)
dead men tell no tales – the reason given for leaving no survivors
give no quarter – show no mercy; pirates raised a red flag to threaten no quarter
landlubber – a person who is uncomfortable, or not incredibly skilled, at sea
lily-livered – an insult for someone who displays cowardice
keelhaul – a punishment in which someone was dragged back and forth under the ship
mutiny – a situation in which the crew chooses a new captain, sometimes forcibly removing the old one
scallywag – an inexperienced pirate, considered an insult
scurvy dog – an insulting name
shark bait – If you’re made to walk the plank, chances are you’ll be shark bait. Also, a dying sailor whose body will soon be thrown into the sea
son of a biscuit eater – an insult
walk the plank – A punishment, probably more myth than truth, which entails making someone walk off the side of the ship along a plank. The person’s hands were often tied so he couldn’t swim and drowned (and then fed the fish).

Pirate Slang

Understand what pirates have to say with popular pirate slang.

briney deep – the ocean
cackle fruit – hen’s eggs
clap of thunder – a strong alcoholic drink
dance the hempen jig – to be hanged
Davy Jones’ locker – mythological place at the bottom of the sea where drowned sailors were said to go
feed the fish – if you lose a sea fight, your body will feed the fish
fire in the hole – a canon that is loaded and ready to fire
hang the jib – to frown or scowl
hearties – friends and comrades
hempen halter – the noose used to hang people
hornswaggle – to cheat, swindle
no prey, no pay – a pirate law meaning the crew didn’t get paid but took a share of any loot
peg leg – a wooden leg
run a rig – play a trick
sea legs – when a pirate can walk comfortably on a moving ship
scuttle – to sink a ship
scuttlebutt – a cask of drinking water; slang for gossip
swashbuckler – a daredevil
three sheets to the wind – someone who is quite drunk

I love the phrases that are part of our normal usage – “three sheets to the wind” is certainly colorful, but I never realized it ties into sailing. I love the phrase “clap of thunder” too. It would come before being three sheets though!

One thing we don’t want to emulate is the food the pirates ate. I would think they’d eat a lot of fish, but it seems like hard-tack was the standard. What’s hard-tack? Hard (not surprisingly) biscuits that would last for a while. Not real appealing even before the mold took hold. And they ate a lot of beef. Huh. We’re eating beef on Sunday, but it’s very different than Pirate Fare, I’m sure.

WHAT’S FOR EATS?

Speaking of Sunday Dinner, what IS on the Weekly Menu 09.19.21? Delmonico steaks on the grill start out our feast. I’ve been jonesing for beef for a while, and Bert kindly picked up some beautiful steaks that he saw when he was out. A combination that can not be beat is steak and Scalloped Onions, which are onions prepped in the same way scalloped potatoes are. They’re decadent, but the house will smell fabulous while they cook, and the steaks will be even better for them.

We’re having apple “egg-rolls” which look a lot like the fabulous apple pies that you can get from Mickey D’s. And of course we’re adding a splash of bourbon to the sauce in honor of Speak Like a Pirate Day.

The pork roast on Thursday is ostensibly doing double duty on top of nachos for Saturday, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: Saturday is my birthday, and I’m not cooking. My brother often asks how we deviate from the menu, and that is exactly how, Marty – with full knowledge and anticipation! if we were going to eat the nachos, I’d cook a larger pork loin roast on Thursday.