# Jolly roger ahoy argh.

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jolly-roger-ahoy-argh/193028
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 5, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jolly-roger-ahoy-argh/193028 "2003-08-05T01:16:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![the\_duke\_69](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/48db29/32.png) [@the\_duke\_69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_duke_69)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jolly-roger-ahoy-argh/193028/1 "2003-08-05T01:16:19Z")

</div>

What does the jolly roger mean?

I heard that it was used for ships from the plague telling others not to come near the ship and pirates used to so others would not bother them. Please confirm or deny this fact. Thanks to all.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![IGJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/igjoe/32/5420_2.png) [@IGJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IGJoe)
#### Post date: [August 5, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jolly-roger-ahoy-argh/193028/2 "2003-08-05T01:27:33Z")

</div>

Cecil [weighs in](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_292.html). Not very conclusively, though.