(as) drunk as David's/Davy's sow
obsolete slang Very drunk. The phrase dates back to at least the 17th century, and the "David" (or "Davy") in question owned a six-legged sow. When he went to show his sow to others in town, he found his drunken wife sleeping in the pigsty instead. Do you remember last night at the pub at all? You got as drunk as David's sow! Help him get home, will ya? He started drinking whiskey, and now he's drunk as Davy's sow. You were as drunk as David's sow last night, stumbling in here reeking of alcohol!
be (as) drunk as David's/Davy's sow
obsolete slang To be very drunk. The phrase dates back to at least the 17th century, and the "David" (or "Davy") in question owned a six-legged sow. When he went to show his sow to others in town, he found his drunken wife sleeping in the pigsty instead. Do you remember last night at all? You were drunk as David's sow by the time you left the pub! Help him get home, will ya? He started drinking whiskey, and now he's drunk as Davy's sow. You were as drunk as David's sow last night, stumbling in here reeking of alcohol!
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. All of the men in the platoon fought valiantly, but only some escaped having Davy Jones's locker as their final resting place. No way am I wearing my engagement ring to the beach—that is just asking for trouble! I refuse to leave my diamonds in Davy Jones's locker!
go to Davy Jones's locker
To die at sea. Tragically, many men from that battle in the Pacific Ocean went to Davy Jones's locker. All of the men in the platoon fought valiantly, but most of them went to Davy Jones's locker as their final resting place. We were all afraid we'd go to Davy Jones's locker when our boat was caught in that huge storm.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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."
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
go to Davy Jones's locker
be drowned at sea. Davy Jones is identified in Tobias Smollett's Peregrine Pickle ( 1751 ) as ‘the fiend that presides over all the evil spirits of the deep’, but the origin of the name is uncertain.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
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.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer