Who was Davey Jones referenced in the seafaring phrase “Davey Jones locker?
Davy Jones Locker is an idiom for the bottom of the sea. There are many theories to the origin of Davy Jones. In the adventures of the Peregrine Pickle by Tobias Smollet, Davy Jones is first referred to negatively as a devil that presides over the ocean. There was once a pirate in the Indian Ocean named Davy Jones, however he was not famous enough to be the source of the phrase Davy Jones Locker. The biblical prophet Jonah may be a source considering his evil spirit nature with sailors. He was often (an still is today) referred to as Devil Jonah. It is easy to see how the words “Devil Jonah” could turn into Davy Jones. Other sources cite a myopic sailor who often fell overboard named Duffer Jones, and a pubowner who also had the surname Jones, who sold drunken silors onto passing ships.
