davy’s locker
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Or DAVY JONES’S LOCKER, the sea, the common receptacle for all things thrown overboard;—a nautical phrase for death, is "gone to DAVY JONES’S LOCKER," which there means the other world.—See DUFFY.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “davy’s locker” mean?
Or DAVY JONES’S LOCKER, the sea, the common receptacle for all things thrown overboard;—a nautical phrase for death, is "gone to DAVY JONES’S LOCKER," which there means the other world.—See DUFFY.
Is “davy’s locker” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.