Codex:M

The Codex: M
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z

M

Machete

Jack Sparrow holds a machete.

"If I might lend a machete to your intellectual thicket... avoid the choice altogether. Change the facts. Let someone else dispatch Jones."

―Jack Sparrow to Will Turner

A large knife with a broad blade, used for cutting through underbrush.

Madame

"Who in the twelfth ring of Davy Jones's Locker was that?"
"That, was Madame Minuit."

―Jack Sparrow and Jean Magliore

A polite way to address an older woman. [2] Madame Minuit was a well-known holder of the title in New Orleans.

Mademoiselle

"I think we have more pressing matters than Mademoiselle Marcella to discuss."

―Hector Barbossa

The French-language equivalent of "miss".

Magic

"Esmeralda, you've been sailing around the Caribbean for a long time. You know about curses, and magic, and hoodoo, and Obeah. You know that, in the Caribbean, they really exist. Right?"

―Jack Sparrow to Esmeralda

The art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation, ceremony, ritual, the casting of spells or various other techniques that presumably assured human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature.

Magistrate

"Hear ye hear ye! Commencing now the sessions of the peace. Presiding now over these trials, the highly esteemed magistrate of South York! All rise for the Right Honorable Justice Smith!"

―Bailiff

The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who has limited authority to administer and enforce the law. Small towns like Nassau and Isla Tesoro were normally ruled by magistrates.

Main deck

"You three, head down to the main deck, and check that all the guns and gun carriages are securely fastened. We don't want one breaking free, savvy, lads?"

―Jack Sparrow to Phineas Taylor, Tench, and Samuel Newton

The uppermost complete deck on a ship extending from bow to stern.

Mainmast

"Fitz, grab your axe! Help me take the mainmast down!"

―Jack Sparrow to Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III

The second mast from forward on any two-mast ship; the larger forward mast on vessels such as ketches; the sole mast on vessels such as sloops or cutters. [3]

Mainsail

"DRAW THE MAIN!! SHE'LL CURSE THE DAY SHE CHARGED THE REVENGE!!"

―Hector Barbossa to the crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge

A sail rigged on the main mast of a ship. On a square rigged vessel, it was the lowest and largest sail on the main mast.

Manager

A person whose job is to manage something. Jonathan Beckett Sr. was the manager of the Beckett Trading Company for most of his life. Benedict Huntington was the EITC manager for Hong Kong during the Quest for the Shadow Gold.

Mandola

Scrum playing the mandola.

A fretted, stringed musical instrument. The mandola has four double courses of metal strings, tuned in unison rather than in octaves. The mandola is typically played with a plectrum. The double strings accommodate a sustaining technique called tremolando, a rapid alternation of the plectrum on a single course of strings. Mandolas are not uncommon in folk music, (particularly Italian folk music) and sometimes used in Irish traditional music. Scrum was known to be a great player of the mandola.

Man overboard

"Man overboard! Man the ropes! Fetch a hook! Haul him aboard!"

―James Norrington

The exclamation man overboard refers to a crew member or a passenger falling into the water and needing immediate rescue.

Manual labor

"A bit of manual labor is good for you, former commodore. It builds character."

―Jack Sparrow to James Norrington

Any work done by hand; usually implying it is unskilled or physically demanding. During his time aboard the Black Pearl, former commodore James Norrington was forced to work aboard.

Map

"I shall have a look at that map, if it's what I fear..."

―Jack Sparrow

Cutler Beckett world map

A visual representation of an area or territory, whether real or imaginary; a diagram of components of an item. Maps were used to search for various treasures as well as certain places.

Mark my words

"It's bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog. Mark my words."
"Consider them marked. On your way."

―Joshamee Gibbs and James Norrington

Something that you say when you tell someone about something that you are certain will happen in the future That girl's going to cause trouble, you mark my words.

Maroon

The marooned pirate.

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

―Jack Sparrow to Hector Barbossa

To put ashore and abandon on a desolate island by way of punishment. [4] Pirates like Jack Sparrow were known to be marooned on an island.

Marriage

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's interrupted wedding.

"You know...Lizzie. I am captain of a ship. And being captain of a ship, I could in fact perform a marriage, right here, right on this deck...right now."

―Jack Sparrow to Elizabeth Swann

The union of two people, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life. A joining of two parts during a wedding. A captain could perform marriages, notably done by Hector Barbossa for Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.

Martial law

"By decree, according to martial law, the following statutes are temporarily amended: Right to assembly, suspended. Right to habeas corpus, suspended. Right to legal counsel, suspended. Right to verdict by a jury of peers, suspended."

―Cryer

The declaration to give authority to the military to control the civil population in the place of the government, usually in an emergency situation, and are granted unlimited power to suspend the legal protections of their civilian rights. Lord Cutler Beckett imposed martial law in the British Caribbean territories during his War Against Piracy.

Mast

"Dearly beloved we be gathered here today...to nail your gizzards to the mast, you poxy cur!"

―Hector Barbossa before he kicks one of Davy Jones's crewmembers

A spar or structure rising above a ship's hull to hold sails, spars, rigging, booms etc. Ships commonly carry a foremast or mainmast. [5]

Master-at-Arms

A crewmen who's responsible for the ship's weaponry and fighting condition.

Masthead

The top part of a ship's mast.

Mate

See also: Matey

"You don't want to be doing that, mate."
"No, I really think I do."

―Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa

Mate may have several meanings:

• A deck officer or sailor below the captain of a merchant vessel, such as the first mate (or chief mate), second mate, or third mate. One of the mates is always the watch keeping officer, unless the master takes that responsibility. Each mate also has other duties, such as making the passage planning, overseeing loading and unloading and personnel management.
• A piratical way to address someone in a cheerful, if not necessarily friendly, fashion. The word "matey" is also used in this instance. Often used for a fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared. Also used as a colloquial "sir"; an informal and friendly term of address to a stranger, usually male.
• A suitable companion; a match; an equal. Depending on the person's sex, also means a breeding partner.

Matelot

Matelot is a French word meaning "seamen". In pirate slang Matelot referred to a pirate who was in a union known as "matelotage" with another pirate; they shared all their possessions (even the wives) and if one of them died, the other succeeded him.

Matey

See also: Mate

"It be too late to alter course now, mateys!"

―Hector Barbossa

Matey [mey-tee] - n.: A pirate's buddy or friend. Best used after "Ahoy" or "Arrr".

Maya

The pirate ship the Nemesis sails close to a Mayan temple.

An ancient civilization of the Mesoamerican people who resided in Central America, mostly in the Yucatán Peninsula. Captain James Sterling's adventures aboard the Nemesis took him near a Mayan temple.

Me

"Apologies, Your Majesty. Too long my fate has not been in me own hands. No longer."

―Hector Barbossa

My or mine. Some pirates like Jack Sparrow, Hector Barbossa, and Ragetti usually say "me" or "meself" when speaking.

Mercenary

"It's a good thing we're currently at peace; there are bound to be more cashiered soldiers willing to do mercenary work."

―Ian Mercer to Cutler Beckett

A private individual, sometimes a professional soldier, who is hired to fight for any state or nation without regard to political interests or issues.

Merchant marine

"It's not true that my father was a pirate! He was a merchant marine! A respectable man who obeyed the law!"
"Ah, there's quite a few who come out here hoping to amass enough swag to ease the burdens of respectable life...and they're all merchant marines."

―Will Turner and Jack Sparrow

The ships of a nation that are engaged in commerce. Also used to refer to the officers and crews of such vessels.

Merci beaucoup

"You know, I think I need a bit more experience before I'm ready for my first command, mate. Perhaps the next ship will be a better match for me, eh?"
"Very well, mon ami. I will keep it in mind."
"Merci beaucoup."

―Jack Sparrow and Christophe-Julien de Rapièr

"Thank you very much" in French.

Mercy

"Mercy is something they know not. Their ships bring only death."

―Davy Jones

Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

Mermaid

A mermaid with young Jack Sparrow.

"Don't worry, Miss. He's already informed of that. A little mermaid flopped up on deck and told him the whole story."

―Gillette

Mermaids were human-fish hybrids in mythology and lore. They are best known to lurk in the depths of the sea, most notably in Isla Sirena and Whitecap Bay.

Milady

"Milady! I see unseamenlike fellows of officious-looking nature!"

―Scrum to Angelica

A French manner of address to a noble woman, the feminine form of milord.

Military

"Mr. Turner, you are not a military man, you are not a sailor. You are a blacksmith. And this is not the moment for rash actions!"

―James Norrington to Will Turner

A country's armed forces, or sometimes, more specifically, to the senior officers who command them. In general, it refers to the physicality of armed forces, their personnel, equipment, and the physical area which they occupy.

Minx

"You’re trying to distract me, you minx, and don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing."

―Jack Sparrow to Amenirdis

A girl or young woman who is considered to be impudent or very flirtatious.

Miss

"It is Elizabeth, isn't it?"
"It's Miss Swann."
"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind."

―Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann

An English language honorific traditionally used only for an unmarried woman.

Missionary

A young missionary named Philip Swift

"Him? Churchly fellow. Always going on about the Lord Almighty."
"Bible-thumper on this ship?"
"A missionary is his story. What I heard was he got captured in a raid. Rest of the ship got killed, but not 'im. First mate wouldn't let it happen on account of his premier standing with the Lord."

―Scrum and Jack Sparrow concerning Philip Swift

A person who travels attempting to spread a religion or a creed; a religious messenger. Philip Swift was a young missionary captured by Blackbeard in a raid at some point prior to the quest for the Fountain of Youth. Because Angelica, Blackbeard's daughter and first mate, would not allow Blackbeard kill Philip "on account of his premiere standing with the Lord" and in fear of endless damnation for her father, Blackbeard kept the missionary as prisoner. Throughout the quest, the missionary defied even Blackbeard in an attempt to rescue the terrible pirate's soul and when he encounters the mermaid he called Syrena.

Mizzenmast

The topsail on the mizzenmast of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

"Strike your colours you bloomin' cockroaches! Surrender Captain Jack Sparrow or by thunder we'll burn this city to the ground!"
"Two shot holes Captain—one clean through the mizzenmast."
"They need a bit of persuasion mateys. Fire at will!"

―Hector Barbossa and a pirate crewman

The aftmost mast on a ship having three masts.

Mon ami

"Instead of sending that flute we'll be boarding today to the sea bottom, I could merely capture her, and give her to you, mon ami, to captain for me."

―Christophe-Julien de Rapièr to Jack Sparrow

A French phrase that means "my friend" in English.

Mon Dieu

"Where is the rest of your crew?"
"Ah, you're looking at it."
"Mon dieu―mighty, you said your ship was? Can you take us to our port?"

―Tumen, Jack Sparrow, and Jean Magliore

The French words for "My God", used as an expression of surprise.

Money

Three shillings.

"Look at them all."
"There's not been a gathering like this in our lifetime."
"And I owe them all money."

―Pintel, Hector Barbossa, and Jack Sparrow

Money is any object or record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts in a given socio-economic context or country.

Monopoly

"Were I in a divulgatory mood, what then might I divulge?"
"Everything. Where are they meeting? Who are the Pirate Lords? What is the purpose of the nine pieces of eight?"
"I think I'd prefer to maintain my monopoly on those answers. Just good business, you know."

―Jack Sparrow and Cutler Beckett

The exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.

Monsieur

"I don't like heights."
"I thought you were monsieur sailor extraordinaire."
"That's different!"

―Jean Magliore and Fitzwilliam P. Dalton III

Monsieur or m'sieur, is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. Later it become the customary French title of respect and term of address for a French-speaking man, corresponding to such English titles as mister or sir.

Montezuma's Revenge

"Excuse me, kind sirs, I require a moment."
"Montezuma's Revenge."

―Don Carrera de la Vega and a Spanish Soldier

Diarrhea experienced by tourists after drinking water or eating food in Mexico as a result of a bacteria strain to which native Mexicans are immune.

Moonlight

Carina Smyth with blood moonlight shining on her

"The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the living, and so we cannot die. But neither are we dead."

―Hector Barbossa concerning his crew

The light reflected from the moon; illumination made by the light from the moon. Carina Smyth used Galileo Galilei's diary during the blood moon to decipher the Map No Man Can Read.

Morion

One of the Chinese pirates aboard the Black Pearl wears a morion helmet.

A morion (Spanish: morrión) was a type of open-faced combat helmet originally from the Kingdom of Castile (Spain), used from the beginning of the 16th century to the early-18th century.

Mother Carey's chickens

"Mother Cary's chickens! What happened?"
"Must have hit a reef."

―Bursar and Quartermaster

A sailor's name for storm petrels, a type of seabird believed to be a dark omen as they were said to foretell bad weather. Mother Carey herself was a supernatural figure personifying the cruel and threatening sea in the imaginations of English sailors, a superstition similar to Davy Jones.

Motley crew

Jack Sparrow's motley crew

"You'll make a fine addition to my army, what with your ability to control the tempers of the Earth. In fact, I was just in the middle of... indoctrinating some new troops."
"I'm not here to join you and your motley bag."

―Stone-Eyed Sam and Torrents

A group of sailors who came from different background and ethnicities, yet having a common goal.

Mum

"Did your friend happen to mention where the Brethren Court are meeting?"
"He was mum on that, sir."

―Cutler Beckett and Ian Mercer

Silent; not saying a word (to keep mum); it was used commonly in the idiom "mum's the word". [6]

Mum's the word

"Lock up the Code! Strike the wenches! And if any of ye ever speak a word of this...I'll have your tongue."
"...Aye, sir. Mum's the word."
[squawks] "Mum's the word."

―Mungard, Cotton and Cotton's parrot

An idiom meaning that the accompanying facts are a secret, not to be divulged.

Murder

"Tommy most likely drowned. But I don't think it was an accident."
"Murder?"
"I think so."

―Jack Sparrow and Esmeralda

The crime of intentionally killing a person.

Music

"If we caught a whiff of 'im near Libertalia, we'd skin him alive and play music with his bones!"

―A pirate

Vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony.

Musket

EITC soldiers using muskets.

"And, once the iron is taken from the ground, we will need to know how to cast it into cannons. How to make pistols and muskets."

―Amenirdis to Jack Sparrow

A musket is a muzzle-loaded firearm that fires a round lead bullet through a long smoothbore barrel. Because of the smoothbore barrels, these weapons had an accurate range of roughly fifty yards, when fired by a practiced musketeer. Because of their accuracy, soldiers would often form lines and fire at once in volleys to maximize efftcts. These weapons were widely used by the Marines of the Royal Navy, soldiers of almost every European Army, as well as by EITC soldiers and pirates. A person using a musket is called a musketeer. It is a weapon often used by Jack Sparrow's teen friend, Arabella Smith.

Muster your courage

"Light 'em up! Muster your courage! Drive 'em to shore!"

―Purser during the battle at Whitecap Bay

A phrase meaning to look within oneself to summon a particular positive quality, such as strength, energy or courage.

Mutiny

Mutiny on the Queen Anne's Revenge.

"Aye, the perfidious rotter led a mutiny against us!"

―Joshamee Gibbs on Will Turner

Mutiny [myoot-n-ee] - noun: Rebellion against authority. This is best known as sailors' revolt against the captain or officers of a ship. A participant of a mutiny were called a Mutineer.

Muttonhead

"Parley? Damn to the depths whatever muttonhead thought up 'parley'!"
"That would be the French."

―Pintel and Jack Sparrow

A dull or stupid person; often used as a general term of abuse. A fool or bonehead.

Mystic

Tia Dalma in her mystic's shack.

"See, she's under a curse, cast by the mystic Tia Dalma herself."

―Jean Magliore on Constance Magliore

A person who practices mysticism, or a reference to a mystery, mystic studies or the occult. Mysterious and strange; arcane, obscure or enigmatic. Tia Dalma was a well-known voodoo mystic.