Here is an old nautical phrase that some may have heard of but not know.
Davy Jones’s Locker is an idiom for the bottom of the sea — the resting place of drowned sailors. It is used as an euphemism for death at sea (to be sent to Davy Jones' Locker),[1] whereas the name Davy Jones is a nickname for what would be the devil/saint/god of the seas. The origins of the name are unclear and many theories have been put forth, including incompetent sailors, a pub owner who kidnapped sailors, or that Davy Jones is another name for the devil – as in, “Devil Jonah”. This nautical superstition was popularized in the 1800s.
The tale of Davy Jones causes fear among sailors, who may refuse to discuss Davy Jones in any great detail.[3] Not all traditions dealing with Davy Jones are fearful. In traditions associated with sailors crossing the Equatorial line, there was a "raucous and rowdy" initiation presided over by those who had crossed the line before, known as shellbacks, or Sons of Neptune. The eldest shellback was called King Neptune, and the next eldest was his assistant who was called Davy Jones.[3]
