Davy Jones' Locker

Davy Jones' Locker is an idiom for the bottom of the sea — the resting place of drowned seamen.

Origin

David Jones is a common name in Wales, but as is common with slangs, the origin of the phrase as a spirit of the deep is hard to discover. These explanations have been expressed:

Related Topics:
David Jones - Wales

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• A pub owner named David Jones who used to incapacitate hapless drinkers in his ale locker, and send them off aboard ships.
• Davy comes from Duffy (West Indian term for ghost) or St. David (patron saint of Welsh sailors) and Jones from prophet Jonah.
• Duffer Jones, a notoriously myopic sailor who often found himself overboard.