owl

(as) wise as an owl

Exceptionally wise, discerning, or sound in judgment. The owl was once a symbol of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, and has endured as a symbol of wisdom throughout the ages. She is considered as wise as an owl and has become something of a matriarch within the community. You'd think he'd be wise as an owl after so many years in this industry, but he's still a careless old fool.
See also: owl, wise

bring owls to Athens

To do or undertake something redundant, pointless, or futile. It refers to the city of Athens in the time of Ancient Greece, where silver coins were minted with the image of an owl (which were abundant in the city). Thus, to bring either owls or silver to Athens would be a useless venture. The councilor's plans to improve the economy by increasing taxes simply would be bringing owls to Athens.
See also: Athens, bring, owl

like an owl in an ivy bush

With a vacant stare, often due to drunkenness. Ivy bushes were thought to be enjoyed by both owls and Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. Whenever Rob drinks, he eventually looks like an owl in an ivy bush, gazing off into the distance at nothing.
See also: bush, ivy, like, owl

night owl

A person who prefers to be awake late at night. In my younger days, I was quite a night owl and would often stay up until sunrise.
See also: night, owl

owl prowl

A birdwatching session specifically focused on seeing owls, typically done at night. I took my two older kids on an owl prowl last weekend, and we all had a fantastic experience! I know the nature reserve hosts nighttime owl prowls throughout the summer and into early Fall.
See also: owl, prowl

send owls to Athens

To do or undertake something redundant, pointless, or futile. It refers to the city of Athens in the time of Ancient Greece, where silver coins were minted with the image of an owl (which were abundant in the city). Thus, to bring either owls or silver to Athens would be a useless venture. Creating a business to export olive oil to Italy is like sending owls to Athens! His plans to improve the economy by increasing taxes would simply be sending owls to Athens.
See also: Athens, owl, send
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

I wasn't brought up in the woods to be scared by owls.

Rur. I am not foolish or easily frightened. His threats don't scare me. I wasn't brought up in the woods to be scared by owls. Mary: You'll be sorry you ever crossed me. Jane: I wasn't brought up in the woods to be scared by owls.
See also: brought, by, owl, scare, up, wood

night owl

Fig. someone who stays up at night; someone who works at night. My roommate is a night owl and usually reads until 5:00 A.M. A few night owls stayed at the café all night long.
See also: night, owl

*wise as Solomon

 and *wise as an owl
very wise. (*Also: as ~.) If you are in trouble, get Chris to advise you. He's as wise as Solomon. This is a difficult problem. You'd need to be as wise as an owl to be able to solve it.
See also: Solomon, wise
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

night owl

A person who habitually stays up late and is active at night, as in You can call her after midnight, for she's a night owl. This colloquial term, originally used in the late 1500s for an owl that is active at night, was transferred to nocturnal human beings in the mid-1800s.
See also: night, owl
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

a night owl

If you call someone a night owl, you mean that they regularly stay up late at night. Night owls can even order a 3am steak at the 24-hour Horizons Court Hotel. Joe is a night owl whereas I'm more of an early bird.
See also: night, owl
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a ˈnight owl

(informal) somebody who feels more lively at night and usually goes to bed very late: She’s a night owl and has always done her best work after midnight.
See also: night, owl
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

owl-prowl

n. a nighttime session of owl watching. (Bird watchers humor.) We went on an owl-prowl last night and spotted a spotted owl. It was a barn owl, but we spotted it.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • (as) wise as an owl
  • (as) wise as Solomon
  • Solomon
  • wise as Solomon
  • zzz
  • sub rosa
  • mesh
  • write out
  • olive
  • olive branch
References in periodicals archive
However, they discovered that, despite this, they were more successful at hunting rodents than the reddest owls, which could remain camouflaged.
Why white barn owls hunt better under full moon; NATURE
The spread of Barred Owls, a closely related, competing species that has moved into Spotted Owls' range from the east, according to the study published in the journal of The Condor: Ornithological Applications.
Despite habitat protection, Northern Spotted Owl population is declining
However, there has been another trend, which in its own way has also legislated against barn owls, the conversion of old, now disused farm buildings into modern homes.
Owl over for birds that rely on rough grazing?
WATCH: An endemic juvenile Philippine Scops Owl was rescued in DLSU - Dasmarinas campus on Wednesday.
WATCH: Young, injured owl found in DLSU-Dasmarinas campus gets rescued
Snowy owl population numbers vary widely, depending on the presence or absence of prey.
A FLASH OF WHITE: THE SNOWY OWL IRRUPTION OF 2017-2018
If owls are caught, the banding and data collection process will be demonstrated indoors on a live bird.
Kings Gap to host free 'Owls in PA' program, show banding of owls
On this side of the Atlantic, the owl was viewed as a harbinger of death as well.
Owls in folklore: Halloween icon, or harbinger of death?
Initially surveillance surveys were conducted in the potential areas of the National Park, such as, old buildings in villages, chimneys of houses, towers of mosques, abandoned buildings, tall trees at different locations and elevations, and natural areas, to search and locate the roosting and nesting sites of owl species.
Short Communication - Diversity and Nest Characteristics of Owl Species Inhabiting Margalla Hills National Park Islamabad, Pakistan
Sir Quentin got to know the charity when members of his staff adopted an owl for him as a Christmas present.
DAHL ILLUSTRATOR SIR QUENTIN BECOMES OWLS TRUST PATRON
6 In mythology, owls are both a sign of victory (in ancient Greece a Little Owl was the companion of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom) and death (it's said an owl predicted the death of Julius Caesar).
Flights of fancy; We're utterly captivated by the fluffy precision killers in C5's The Secret Life Of Owls. From barn owls to little owls, we're hooked on their every feather
If you've ever seen the movie, My Cousin Vinny, then you know what a screech owl sounds like.
An Owl Field Guide
This startling picture of the little owl, which is suffering from a problem known as leucism, was photographed close to Cleveland by Brian Martin.
GO WILDwith eric paylor
The Supplement OWL (Online Wellness Library), the dietary supplement product registry, is an industrywide, self-regulatory initiative designed to help industry stakeholders identify products, their ingredients and the companies who market them, and permit registry users to examine and evaluate labels and other product information.
Supplement OWL is quickly gaining momentum
The researchers compared data from 1979 to 2016, estimating that owl sales had risen from a few hundred a year before the books were released to 13,000 in 2016.
The Harry Potter effect
Only one bird sounds like this--the great homed owl. It can be heard just about anywhere because they live in mountain forests, desert canyons, and even city parks.
The great horned owl