Hoist the Jolly Roger!
Get ready to fight!
TRANSLATION
hoist the Jolly Roger = bereitet Euch auf die Schlacht vor! Jolly Roger = die Totenkopf- bzw. Piratenflagge
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
St. Pauli ready to HOIST THE JOLLY ROGER over the Bundesliga
BBC - News Headline
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Now there's many a day on the Spanish Main
But none I hold so dear
As the happy day I first became
A scurvy buccaneer
Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
And HOIST THE JOLLY ROGER
from the song Jolly Roger by Roger McGuinn
Did you
know?
Hoist the Jolly Roger
colloquial verb phrase
- a motivational phrase used before undertaking a large task or competition
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ORIGIN
The Jolly Roger is the name for various flags, such as the skull and crossbones, that once identified a ship's crew as pirates. It was hoisted up the mast to frighten victims into surrendering without a fight. Today it symbolises ferocious strength and the drive to succeed, especially if a competition is involved.
How it came to be called the Jolly Roger is a mystery, although there are several theories, including the following:
- In the 1600s, sailors in the Eastern Indian Ocean were accustomed to calling pirates "Ali Raja," meaning "king of the seas." It was pronounced "Olly Roger," which could have been understood by English speakers as "Jolly Roger."
- The little red flag, or Red Jack, was called "joli rouge" by French pirates. This could have developed into the English "Jolly Roger."
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Practice OWAD in a conversation today
say something like:
"Get ready to HOIST THE JOLLY ROGER, the competition are about to drastically reduce prices."
