Davy Jones' locker
the bottom of the sea
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Algae need light, so must live near the surface—as must the zooplankton and other animals that need the phytoplankton. When they die, all these organisms sink to the bottom, where they become food for other creatures. Once they have been consumed their component molecules, including nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates and iron, are stuck in DAVY JONES' LOCKER.
(The Economist)
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"A fight to the death, no prisoners taken! You understand? If we're beaten, then it's every man to DAVY JONES' LOCKER!"
(The Secret of the Unicorn, by Belgian cartoonist Hergé)
(The Economist)
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"A fight to the death, no prisoners taken! You understand? If we're beaten, then it's every man to DAVY JONES' LOCKER!"
(The Secret of the Unicorn, by Belgian cartoonist Hergé)
Did you
know?
Davy Jones' locker
idiom
- the bottom of the sea, especially regarded as the grave of those drowned at sea
(Oxford English Dictionary)
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Examples of the expression "Davy Jones' locker" can be found as far back as the 18th century. In Herman Melville's novel "Omoo: Adventures in the South Seas," he writes: We asked where the rest of the ship’s company were; a gruff old fellow answered, "One boat’s crew of them is gone to Davy Jones’ locker — went off after a whale, last cruise, and never came back again."
Although Davy Jones' locker still commonly refers to the bottom of the ocean, it is also applied in a figurative sense to describe something (or someone) that has met a bad end: "Before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is sent down to Davy Jones’ locker, there ought to be a debate about the very real policy consequences that could result from reorganization."
The origin is as mysterious as the phrase itself. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable from the late 19th century says Davy Jones is the ghost of Jonah, the Biblical prophet who was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a large fish, presumably a whale (the famous story of Jonah and the whale).
Other theories abound, including the idea that Davy Jones was a real pirate who wreaked havoc in the Indian Ocean in the mid 1600s. Another suggestion is that the expression stems from a British pub owner who supposedly threw drunken sailors into his ale locker so that they could be drafted as crew members on ships. We can probably dismiss these stories as the tall tales that sailors have a penchant for.
Grammar note: This expression is written several ways: Davy Jones locker, Davy Jones's locker and Davy Jones' locker. Since Jones is used in the possessive here, the latter form is grammatically correct.
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I lost my mobile phone during a Mediterranean cruise. It's probably in Davy Jones' locker."
idiom
- the bottom of the sea, especially regarded as the grave of those drowned at sea
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Examples of the expression "Davy Jones' locker" can be found as far back as the 18th century. In Herman Melville's novel "Omoo: Adventures in the South Seas," he writes: We asked where the rest of the ship’s company were; a gruff old fellow answered, "One boat’s crew of them is gone to Davy Jones’ locker — went off after a whale, last cruise, and never came back again."
Although Davy Jones' locker still commonly refers to the bottom of the ocean, it is also applied in a figurative sense to describe something (or someone) that has met a bad end: "Before the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is sent down to Davy Jones’ locker, there ought to be a debate about the very real policy consequences that could result from reorganization."
The origin is as mysterious as the phrase itself. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable from the late 19th century says Davy Jones is the ghost of Jonah, the Biblical prophet who was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a large fish, presumably a whale (the famous story of Jonah and the whale).
Other theories abound, including the idea that Davy Jones was a real pirate who wreaked havoc in the Indian Ocean in the mid 1600s. Another suggestion is that the expression stems from a British pub owner who supposedly threw drunken sailors into his ale locker so that they could be drafted as crew members on ships. We can probably dismiss these stories as the tall tales that sailors have a penchant for.
Grammar note: This expression is written several ways: Davy Jones locker, Davy Jones's locker and Davy Jones' locker. Since Jones is used in the possessive here, the latter form is grammatically correct.
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I lost my mobile phone during a Mediterranean cruise. It's probably in Davy Jones' locker."
