Why is the pirate flag called the Jolly Roger?

A search on "<a href="http://search.yahoo.com/bin/query?p=origin+of+jolly+roger">origin of jolly roger</a>" set us on our way. The first web page result took us to the Romance Reader's Corner for <a href="http://www.autopen.com/jolly.roger.shtml">a bit of pirate lore</a>. Several message-board posters suggested that the original skull-and-crossbones flag was derived from the french jolie rouge, meaning "pretty red," and refers to a red pennant also known as the jolie rougere, flown by 17th and 18th century French buccaneers in the Caribbean. One source states: In many parts of the Caribbean, the "Jolly Roger" was the equivalent of a happy face: it meant the pirate ship was willing to take prisoners. The appearance of a red flag, however, signified no prisoners, and the pirates would slaughter crew and passengers to a man. Another reader mentions that roger was synonymous with rogue in 18th century parlance, while others write about the distinctive flags of their swashbuckling ...  more