Why is a pirate flag called the Jolly Roger?
- ANOTHER possibility is that English pirates in the Indian Ocean began to refer to the red flag of the Tamil pirate Ali Raja by his name and 'Ally Roger' or 'Olly Roger' was later corrupted to Jolly Roger. The English word 'roger', meaning a vagabond rogue, may be another explanation. David Mitchell, in his book Pirates, discusses this question and seems to prefer a derivation from Old Roger - a synonym for the Devil.
Graham Hulme, Leicester.
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