Jolly Roger

American  

[roj-er] / ˈrɒdʒ ər /

noun

1. a flag flown by pirates, having the device of a white skull and crossbones on a black field.

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Jolly Roger British  

noun

1. the traditional pirate flag, consisting of a white skull and crossbones on a black field

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Jolly Roger Cultural  

1. A black flag with a white skull and crossbones, flown in past centuries by pirate ships.

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Etymology

Origin of Jolly Roger

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

“The Jolly Roger... he really didn’t want me to put a skull on that, that was the limit, he didn’t want to see that.”

From The Verge • Jun. 18, 2022

A Jolly Roger pirate flag from a World War Two Royal Navy submarine will go under the hammer later.

From BBC • May 14, 2022

She and her boyfriend Montana Siniff owned the two-story building where they lived and started the Jolly Roger.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 28, 2021

Next was a replica of Captain Hook’s pirate ship, the Jolly Roger, from the movie “Peter Pan.”

From Washington Times • Mar. 17, 2018

“If that was Grog the boys took for Seabiscuit the other morning then let me caution you thus,” wrote the turf reporter known as Jolly Roger, who wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand