painter a rope attached to the bow of a boat for tying it to a dock (or to a ship) or for towing it.
paling a fence made of pales (narrow, upright pointed stakes; pickets).
pieces of eight obsolete Spanish and Spanish-American dollars.
pig-nut any of several bitter, astringent hickory nuts.
pikes weapons, formerly used by soldiers, each consisting of a metal spearhead on a long wooden shaft.
play duck and drake with waste, squander (from a game, "ducks and drakes," of skipping flat stones across water).
plum-duff plum pudding, a rich dessert made of raisins, currants, flour, spices, suet, and then boiled or steamed.
priming used here in the sense of the primer, the powder used to set off the pistol's shot.
quadrant an instrument (later replaced by the sextant) used in navigating.
quartermaster nautical term for petty officer or mate trained to steer a ship, perform navigational duties, and so on; on pirate ships, the next in line to the captain, elected by the crew as their representative.
quid a piece, as of tobacco, to be chewed.
rolling scuppers under . . . Scuppers are openings in the sides of the ship that allow water to run off the deck; the Hispaniola's position and motion of the sea are causing it to roll back and forth sideways until the scuppers are under water.
