Davy Jones' Locker

Phrase of the Day

Davy Jones's Locker \ day-vee-johnz-LAH-ker \ noun

: the bottom of the ocean

EXAMPLES"We asked where the rest of the ship's company were; a gruff old fellow made answer, 'One boat's crew of 'em is gone to Davy Jones's locker: - went off after a whale, last cruise, and never come back agin..."
- Herman Melvill, Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas, 1847

"They were storm driven throughout a long night and slammed into the cliffs of Guana Island 20 miles to the southwest: a close call with Davy Jones's locker."
- Jonathan Russo, Shelter Island Reporter (New York), June 23, 2014

DID YOU KNOW?Was there a real Davy Jones? Folks have been pondering that question for centuries. Sailors have long used "Davy Jones" as the name of the personified evil spirit of the ocean depths, but no one knows exactly why. Some clain the original Davy Jones was a British pirate, but evidence of such a pirate is lacking. Others swear he was a London pub owner who kept drugged ale in a special locker, served it to the unwary, and then had them shanghaied. But the theory considered most plausible is that "Davy" was inspired by St. David, the patron saint of Wales. (Saint David was often invoked by Welsh sailors.) "Jones" is traced to Jonah, the biblical figure who was swallowed by a great fish.