C.
Davy Jones's Locker (Vol. iii., p. 478.).
—During many years of seafaring life, I have frequently considered the origin of this phrase, and have now arrived at the conclusion, that it is derived from the scriptural account of the prophet Jonah. The word locker, on board of ship, generally means the place where any particular thing is retained or kept, as "the bread locker," "shot locker," "chain locker," &c. In the sublime ode in the second chapter of the Book of Jonah, we find that the Prophet, praying for deliverance, describes his situation in the following words:
"In the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about:—the depth closed me round about:—the earth with her bars was about me."
The sea, then, might not be misappropriately termed by a rude mariner, Jonah's locker; that is, the place where Jonah was kept or confined. Jonah's locker, in time, might be readily corrupted to Jones's locker; and Davy, as a very common Welsh accompaniment of the equally Welsh name, Jones, added; the true derivation of the phrase having been forgotten.
W. PINKERTON.
Umbrella (Vol. iii., p. 482.).
—The use of this word may be traced to an earlier period than has yet been shown by any of your correspondents?
In Florio's Worlde of Wordes, 1598, we have it thus:—
"Ombrella, a fan, a canopie, also a testern or cloth of state for a prince, also a kind of round fan or shadowing that they use to ride with in summer in Italy, a little shade."