Davy Jones's locker

Davy Jones's locker

The deepest depths of the ocean, especially as a grave for those who have died at sea. Tragically, many men from that battle in the Pacific Ocean are now in Davy Jones's locker.
See also: Davy, locker
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

Davy Jones's locker

the bottom of the sea, especially when it is a grave. They were going to sail around the world, but ended up in Davy Jones's locker. Most of the gold from that trading ship is in Davy Jones's locker.
See also: Davy, locker
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

Davy Jones's locker

Also, Davy's locker. The bottom of the sea, especially the grave of those who die at sea. For example, Caught out at sea during the hurricane, they thought they were heading for Davy Jones's locker . This term, first recorded in 1726, alludes to Davy Jones, a name given to the evil spirit of the sea. The ultimate origin of both Davy and Jones is disputed. A logical theory is that Jones referred to the biblical Jonah who was swallowed by a whale, and Davy was a corruption of a West Indian word for "devil."
See also: Davy, locker
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

Davy Jones's locker

Death, by drowning or some other means. The term was originally nautical slang, in which the bottom of the sea—the locker in question—was regarded as the grave of those who died there. It dates from the second half of the 1700s. By the mid-1800s, it had been transferred to other kinds of death as well. The term appears in writings by Washington Irving, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, and James M. Barrie, among others, as well as in the opening verse of the U.S. Navy’s anthem, “Sail on to victory, and sink their bones to Davy Jones.”
See also: Davy, locker
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • Davy
  • from sea to shining sea
  • an ocean of (something)
  • an ocean of something
  • ocean
  • cry an ocean
  • boil the ocean
  • across the pond
  • big drink
  • go to Davy Jones's locker
References in periodicals archive
There doesn't seem much in Davy Jones's locker down at the Molineux.
The doom merchants said the huge, pounds 180 million budget was bound for Davy Jones's Locker. They were wrong again.
Young buccaneers Elizabeth and Will join forces with an old foe as they try to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones's Locker, and hopefully defeat the villainous Lord Beckett.
They are deep in the countryside, overlooking a monastery below and seem an odd place to bury a pirate (what's wrong with Davy Jones's locker?).
As the villainous Lord Beckett grows in power, Elizabeth and Will (Orlando Bloom, above, right) are forced to join up with old enemy Barbossa - and their first job is rescuing Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones's locker. It's not quite as much fun as the first film, but this final part in the trilogy is better than the second.
Once Maxwell was safely stashed in Davy Jones's Locker, having sunk beneath the Atlantic, waves of posthumous opprobrium washed over him.
But first, Captain Jack Sparrow must be freed from Davy Jones's locker. Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley reprise their roles.
sinking, sinking, right down into Davy Jones's locker.
Davy Jones came from Devil Jonah - the devil of the seas - legend has it that all dead pirates went to Davy Jones's locker at the bottom of the sea.
The 105-year-old ale was among thousands of crates which went down to Davy Jones's locker when a storm-lashed cargo ship sank off the coast of west Wales.
A series of contrived battle scenes just aren't enough to prevent this film from disappearing right down to Davy Jones's Locker.