Brewer's: Owl in an Ivy Bush

(Like an). Very ugly, a horrible fright [of a fellow]. Said of (or to) a person who has dressed his head unbecomingly, or that has a scared look, an untidy head of hair, or that looks inanely wise. The ivy bush was supposed to be the favourite haunt of owls, and numerous allusions to this supposition might be readily cited.

Good ivy, say to us what birds hast thou? None but the owlet that cries `How, how!' 

Carol (time Henry VI.).

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language