(CNN) — Easy tip number one: If you want to talk like a pirate, add “me hearties” to the end of any sentence.
The meaning is simple — “my friends, my mates” — as in “drink up, me hearties” or “meet at Starbucks, me hearty.”
But there are many ways beyond simple speaking to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day on Saturday.
It was an idea born in 1995 on a YMCA racquetball court in Albany, Oregon. John “Ol’ Chumbucket” Baur and his friend Mark “Cap’n Slappy” Summers began unleashing insults at one another, as pirates might.
They selected September 19, simply because Summers had recently divorced, it was his ex-wife’s birthday, and he figured “the date was stuck in my head, and I wasn’t going to do anything with it anymore,” he told CNN in 2009.
But it wasn’t until humorist Dave Barry caught wind of the idea and threw his support behind it in a September 2002 Miami Herald column that this rickety ship took sail.
“As the name suggests, this is a day on which everybody would talk like a pirate. Is that a great idea, or what?” Barry wrote back then. “There are so many practical benefits that I can’t even begin to list them all.”
The endorsement launched a full-fledged movement that seems to grow each year. Here are some ways to get in on the action:
Speak like a scurvy pirate (on social media)
Yes, you can “update your plunderin,” or manage your “grog fests” on Facebook in the ultimate test of pirate literacy. Go to settings and then language and select English (Pirate) in the drop down menu.
If you need help with your pirate lingo — and you’re too lazy to write your own tweets — Post Like a Pirate is a handy translator that can also tweet your translation. Just don’t get too complicated.
Put grub in ye gullet
Several national chains are offering deals for the day.
At participating Krispy Kreme locations, aspiring bucaneers who talk like a pirate get a free glazed doughnut. Those who go the extra mile and dress like a pirate get a dozen free glazed doughnuts.
At participating Long John Silver’s outlets you can hook a free fried fish or chicken tender by talking like a pirate. If you dress like a pirate you’ll get a whole two-piece fish or chicken basket. (You might want to check out their dress requirements first).
Find ye pirate moniker
No made-up holiday in the digital age would be complete without a pirate name generator, and there are plenty of them. This one seems to work best, and it comes recommended from the Talk Like a Pirate website.
Find celebrations in your area
With the occasion falling on a Saturday this year, bars and restaurants across the country are offering full-on grog fests. Some communities offer family-friendly events for pirates in learning. The Talk Like A Pirate website has a decent map of events worldwide, but it’s best to check event
