Ahoy has been a standard hail at sea for centuries, used by sailors to call to another ship or crew member and get attention across the water. It later became closely linked with pirates in books, plays, films and cartoons, which is why most people now hear it as a playful rather than a formal greeting. Online, the short clip is shared on soundboards and dropped into videos, streams and voice messages whenever a creator wants an instant nautical reference that everyone recognises in a single word.