| 释义 |
owln. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch ule , hule (Dutch uil ), Old Saxon ūuuila (Middle Low German ule ), Old High German ūwila , hūwela , ūla (Middle High German hiuwel , iule , German Eule ), Old Icelandic ugla , Old Swedish uggla (Swedish uggla ), Danish ugle < a Germanic base of imitative origin, derived from the typical hooting call of many species (compare howl n.). Compare Old Saxon ūuo , Old High German hūwo , ūwo (Middle High German hūwe , hiuwe , hūo , early modern German huhu , German Uhu , now only in sense ‘eagle owl’), of similar imitative origin. Compare also classical Latin ulula owl, ululāre to howl (see ululate v.). Compare howlet n.With sense 6 compare Dutch uil (a kind of) moth. The γ. forms show metanalysis (see N n.). the world > animals > birds > order Strigiformes or owl > [noun] eOE (1890) 82/2 Noctua, ulula, ule. eOE (1890) 121/1 Ulula, ulae. OE (Claud.) xi. 17 Ne ete ge nan ðingc hafoccynnes ne earncynnes, ne ulan, ne nan ðingc hrefncynnes. c1275 (?c1250) (Calig.) (1935) 4 (MED) Iherde ich holde grete tale, An hule and one niȝtingale. 1340 (1866) 27 (MED) Þe enuious ne may ysy þet guod of oþren nanmore þanne þe oule oþer þe calouwe mous þe briȝtnesse of þe zonne. ?1387 T. Wimbledon (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 89 (MED) Owles and nytcrowes..seen betre be nyȝt þan by day. c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer 2253 The oule al nyght aboute the balkes wond, That prophete is of wo and of myschaunce. ?c1475 (BL Add. 15562) f. 90 An Owle, bubo, lucifuga, vlula. a1500 in G. Henslow (1899) 102 (MED) For alle goutes a gode oynement. Take an oule and pull hym, and open hym as þou woldeste ete hem..be[t] it to poudre and tempre it with bores gres, and anoynte þe sore be þe fyre. 1535 Psalms ci. 6 Like a Pellicane in the wildernes, and like an Oule in a broken wall. 1600 W. Shakespeare ii. ii. 6 The clamorous Owle, that nightly hootes. View more context for this quotation 1663 R. Boyle i. iv. 66 As the eyes of owls are to the splendor of the day. 1714 J. Gay vi. 53 For Owles, as Swains observe, detest the Light. 1765 J. Brown 284 The shrieks of the owl. 1859 J. E. Tennent II. vii. vii. 257 Across the grey sky the owl flits in pursuit of the night moths. 1896 6 June 8/1 In Valdivia, Dr. Plate observed the remarkable earth owl, which digs long shafts in the steppes, and is distinguished for its terrible scream. 1930 Mar. 146/2 In Northern America our owl of the church tower is most likely to be the barn owl, a close relative of the barn owl of Europe. 1994 S. Butala xi. 190 An owl was hooting, hidden in the wolf willow on the opposite bank. 2. c1330 (?a1300) (1886) l. 3032 (MED) As oule and stormes strong, So criestow on heye In herd. a1393 J. Gower (Fairf.) iii. 585 (MED) Bot Oule on Stock and Stock on Oule; The more that a man defoule, Men witen wel which hath the werse. a1450 (1885) 258 (MED) He lokis..like an nowele in a stok, Full preualy his pray for to wayte. 1530 W. Tyndale sig. Eivv But the blinde oules care not what they houle, seinge it is night. ?1576 sig. B.iiiv The slaue lookes like an owle in a tree. 1603 W. Shakespeare iv. v. 41 They say the owle was A Bakers daughter. 1622 G. de Malynes 426 There is a Custome that no Officer may arrest after Sun set; such therefore as goe abroad but at those times, are said to Fly with the Owle, by a common Prouerbe. a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Four Plays in One in (1647) sig. Ddddddddv/1 Could not you be content to be an owl in such an ivie-bush. 1738 J. Swift i. 94 ‘Pr'y thee, how did the Fool look?’ ‘Look! Egad, he look'd for all the World like an Owl in an Ivy Bush.’ 1787 F. Grose (at cited word) To take owl, to be offended, to take amiss. 1818 S. E. Ferrier II. xi. 122 It wad mak an ool laugh to hear the wark that's made aboot young fowk's health noo-a-days. 1858 W. T. Porter 84 An owl couldent have cotch a rat afore I was in site of Jo's with my gall. 1895 23 Nov. 490/2 I am as lost to observation as an owl in an ivy-bush. 1996 20 Oct. vii. 11/2 Two centuries have altered nothing. The Speaker still looks like an owl in an ivy bush. c1484 (a1475) J. de Caritate tr. (Takamiya) (1977) 190 Man..is..resonnabyl as an aungelle, leccherus as a sqwyne, malycious as an owle. 1764 H. Walpole 15 Feb. The noise, which made me as drunk as an owl. 1840 F. Marryat xxxvi. 259 The..men will be as drunk as owls. 1882 M. E. Braddon I. viii. 243 I must go and get my siesta, or I shall be as stupid as an owl all the evening. 1925 P. G. Wodehouse iii. 29 My opinion is that he was as tight as an owl. 1956 G. Durrell xii. 163 You were as tiddled as an owl last night. 1999 (Nexis) 6 Dec. f5 Her dark eyebrows and thick eyeglasses make her look as wise as an owl. the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > uselessness, vanity, or futility > be of no avail [verb (intransitive)] > expend effort on something futile 1548 T. Cooper (rev. ed.) at Noctua Owles to Athens, a prouerbe, where one sendeth to a man any thynge, whereof he that receyueth it hath plentie. 1567 J. Maplet f. 97 To sende ouer Owles to Athens. In Tropicall sense, ment of such as bestow largely vpon them that haue no neede. 1590 H. Swinburne Pref. I may be thought to powre water into the Sea, to carrie owles to Athens, and to trouble the reader with a matter altogether needlesse and superfluous. 1612 H. Peacham in A. Standish (new ed.) Vpon Author For me thy paines and subiect to commend..Were Candle-light vnto the Sunne to lend, Send Owles to Athens, paint the Phoenix brest. 1679 J. Josselyn 97 What does this man to bring Owls to Athens? 1824 H. F. Cary tr. Aristophanes i. iv. 31 Who to Athens brings owls? 1896 E. Clodd in 7 54 Although it is bringing ‘owls to Athens’ to enlarge on the matter in your presence, it may refresh some impaired memory to hear what Dr. Tylor says. 1987 (Nexis) 4 July The Portuguese could give Spain some sherry..and..the rest could club together to send owls to Athens. the world > time > day and night > night > [noun] > one who brings or likes night or darkness the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > pretender to wisdom, wiseacre > [noun] c1390 (c1300) MS Vernon Homilies in (1877) 57 308 (MED) Hire felawes..calde hire Oule and foule þing. a1500 ( (Egerton) (1953) i. xxvii. f. 22 Poepil, wich the wreched, horrible owle of helle had drawe owt of ther nest. 1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in (1998) I. 201 Fantastik fule,..Ignorant elf, aip, owll irregular. 1579 W. Fulke Heskins Parl. Repealed in 15 The Owles and Battes of our time, either can not, or will not see it. 1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas ii. i. 313 In heauenly things..more blind then Moales, In earthly Owles. 1609 W. Shakespeare ii. i. 92 I bad the vile oule goe learne mee the tenor of the proclamation. View more context for this quotation 1694 L. Echard tr. Plautus Rudens ii. viii, in tr. Plautus 172 But without flattery, I was a great Owl for not falling in love before now. 1750 W. Bulkeley Diary in B. Dew Roberts (1936) ii. ii. 135 That Owl Roger Holland..has..no Common Sense. 1847 L. Hunt II. ii. 32 It vexes one to see so fine a poet make such an owl of himself. 1861 A. Macdonald Let. in A. W. Baldwin (1960) v. 69 The sister..being a frightfully learned owl of a female. 1926 T. E. Lawrence (subscribers' ed.) l. 266 Our long march into Wadi Sirhan was known to the enemy, and the most civilian owl could not fail to see that the only fit objective was Akaba. 1977 18 Oct. 24/4 Some of us owls who spend the mornings half asleep. 2000 3 June 31/2 If you crawl out of bed after battling with the snooze button, on the other hand, you're probably an owl. society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > other specific games > [noun] > others 1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais xxii. 95 There he played..At the billiards, At bob and hit, At the owle [Fr. au hybou]. 1659 J. Howell Particular Vocab. §xxviii, in (1660) To play at the Owl; Alla civetta; A la chouëtte. the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Columbiformes (pigeons, etc.) > domestic pigeon > [noun] > other types 1725 R. Bradley at Pigeon There are..many sorts of pigeons, such as..Petits, Owls, Spots, Trumpeters, Shakers, &c. 1765 125 The owl is..a small Pigeon, very little larger than a jacobine. 1855 3 68/2 Whether the true-bred owl-pigeon ought to have a turned crown. 1899 Oct. 415 He crossed a white fantail cock with the offspring of an owl and an archangel. 1984 D. F. Ison (ed. 2) 148 Chinese Owl. Origin: Formerly known as the Whiskered Owl, the pigeon probably came from China to Europe in about 1850. 1994 (Nexis) 13 Nov. 11 (caption) The Land of Lincoln Pigeon Show at the state fairgrounds livestock center. Above is a Chinese owl pigeon. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Arctiidae > member of (tiger-moth) 1775 M. Harris 39 Owl. [Food of the caterpillar] Oak... [Appears in the winged state] Oct[ober]... [Haunts in the winged state] Woods. 1829 J. F. Stephens ii. 37 Moths, Bustards, Millers, Soles, Owls. 1836 W. D. Cooper 26 Owl, a moth. 1883 W. H. Cope 65 Owl..(1) The tiger-moth... (2) Any small white moth. the world > animals > fish > subclass Elasmobranchii > order Hypotremata > [noun] > family Rajidae > raia circularis (sandy ray) 1862 J. Couch I. 115 Sandy Ray, Owl, Raia circularis. 1863 C. Kingsley iv. 145 Where the great owl-rays leap and flap, like giant bats, upon the tide. 1878 T. Cornish in J. Couch (ed. 2) 53 Small-eyed Ray (Raia microcellata). The Painted Ray. The Owl... Off Pra-sand in Mount's Bay, quite three-fourths of the rays caught are ‘Owls’. 1963 R. M. Nance 122 Owl, the small-eyed ray, Raia microcellata Mont., (or possibly Raia fallonica [read fullonica] Linn.). Compounds C1. a. General attributive. 1863 ‘G. Hamilton’ 107 For the substantial stone city..turns out to be a miserable little dirty, hutty, smutty, stagnant owl-cote. 1908 H. J. W. Tillyard iv. 114 The thought of Agathocles' carrying about an owl-cote on the march against such an occasion, is obviously ridiculous. 1973 P. Drabble v. 102 The top section of the barn roof had been enclosed to make an impressive owl cote especially to attract barn owls to roost and nest. 1924 E. Sitwell ii. 18 Smoothing the dusky dawn's owl-down. 1813 R. Cumberland False Demetrius i, in II. 358 Even your owl eyes can see the seal of Nature stampt upon his cheek. 1868 R. Browning II. vi. 238 For a wink of the owl-eyes of you. 1984 M. J. Taussig (ed. 2) iii. 270 The ‘haloed’ appearance of the inclusion body has given them the name ‘owl-eye cells’. b. Instrumental. a1788 W. J. Mickle (1794) ii. 88 All by the gate, beneath a pine shade bare, An owl-frequented bowre, some tents were spred. a1839 W. M. Praed (1865) II. 38 Things hid In owl-frequented pyramid. c. Parasynthetic and similative. (a) 1928 E. Sitwell 18 Time drifts owl-dusk o'er the brightest eyes. (b) 1920 E. Sitwell 41 In owl-dark garments goes the Rain. a1849 E. A. Poe Enigma, Petrarch. Stuff in (1859) 79 Owl-downy nonsense. 1928 E. Sitwell 18 That sang sweet country songs in owl-dusked leaves. the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > types of vision > [adjective] > unable to stand light the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [adjective] > drunk 1613 G. Wither i. vii. sig. F5v An owle-eyed buzzard, that by day is blind, And sees not things apparant. 1843 T. Carlyle ii. xvii. 178 Valiant Wisdom..escorted by owl-eyed Pedantry. 1993 M. Atwood ii. 8 Tony's face, owl-eyed and elf-nosed and younger than her face is now, goggles out from the back covers. 1795 23 376 Wool on the cheeks and throat (but not to the degree they term owl-headed) [sheep]. 1875 4 282 Recent discoveries of owl-headed divinities on the supposed site of ancient Troy. 1968 11 July 59/2 A Chou Dynasty bronze bell with tiger-handle and an owl-headed drinking vessel. the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > not seeing or preventing from seeing > [adjective] > dazzled 1596 C. Fitzgeffry sig. C2 Oule-sighted eies, that dazled are with light, But see acutelie in the darksome night. a1916 J. Todhunter (1918) 31 Though time on his owl-soft wings bring parting of our feet. 1953 W. de la Mare 32 Owl-soft his wings. a1822 P. B. Shelley Def. Poetry in (1888) II. 32 Those eternal regions where the owl-winged faculty of calculation dare not soar. 2001 (Nexis) 25 Nov. g1 Stanford White, the architect who designed the statue's setting, the owl-winged bench before her and the austere plinth behind her. C2. a. the world > the supernatural > the occult > sorcery, witchcraft, or magic > enchantment or casting spells > [adjective] > enchanted 1603 S. Harsnett xxi. 137 No doubt but mother Nobs is the witch, the young girle is owleblasted and possessed. 1901 E. Eggleston (1933) i. 31 A great mass of such inconsequent and paltry foolery was believed, not alone by owlblasted children, but by Stoughton and the other judges. 1999 R. E. Guiley (ed. 2) 324/1 The striges' association with screech owls gave rise to the term owlblasted, which referred to the effects of a wasting-away spell cast upon a man. b. the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for hands > [noun] > glove > types of > made of specific material > gloves 1879 R. Jefferies xi. 196 A pair of ‘owl-catchers’, gloves of stout white leather. c1475 (1969) 571 (MED) Yff ȝe haue ony syluer, in happe pure brasse, Take a lytyll powder of Parysch and cast ouer hys face, Ande ewyn in þe howll-flyght let hym passe. a1500 Piers of Fulham (James) in W. C. Hazlitt (1866) II. 3 (MED) They..gon yn to the waren al be nyght, evyn a non aftyr the owle flyght, when trew men schulde be at her reste. a1529 J. Skelton Howe Douty Duke of Albany in (1568) sig. F.viiv He ran away by nyght In the owle flyght Lyke a cowarde knyght. 1852 12 June 136/2 Never tiring or stopping partially to have its asperities aggravated by the man in the owl-glasses, the old mill rattles on. 1913 Dec. 106/1 The Cap'n set down his cup of ‘shells’ and looked anxiously over his owl glasses at her. 1976 30 Mar. 14/4 Denver's magnetic stage charm, all owl glasses, blond hair and cowboy shirt. 2008 C. Alter 232 The woman with the owl glasses approached Karl and handed him a small red envelope. ?1748 ‘T. Bobbin’ (ed. 2) 6 We reeart th' Steeigh sawfly ogen th' Wough under th' Eawl-hoyle. 1898 No. 51 In many old barns..there are owl-holes just under the eaves, formed with ledges specially made for ingress and egress. 1988 A. Johnson (BNC) The gables contained owl-holes close to the apex of the roof. 2002 C. J. Illinik xxi. 109 For years birds and weather had enlarged the owl hole, allowing rain and snow to penetrate the old poplar tree's heart. society > occupation and work > equipment > receptacle or container > vessel > pouring vessel > [noun] > jug > specific types of jug 1872 C. G. Leland tr. J. V. von Scheffel 79 In Beerbach by the Town Hall brought The Zentgrave with the people, The owl-jug [Ger. Kauzenkrug]. The old lord laughed out—‘Bring up your sour tipple!’ 1891 July 44/1 A very choice assortment of tinware and colored glass, among which a few bright blue owl jugs are conspicuous. 1925 B. Rackham tr. E. Hannover I. 554 Walter Stengel..gives good reason for regarding these owl-jugs..as being of Nuremberg origin. 1973 25 Aug. 12/4 The Nottingham bear jugs and owl jugs, weirdly modelled, are particularly sought after. 2005 B. Adler 297/1 Special forms such as..lidded goblets, Gurden, and lamp-vessels or owl-jugs are much sought-after collector's items today. 1865 13 Exhibitions:..Bag made from bark of the birch,..Some owl-pellets, [etc.]. 1899 33 571 The numerical abundance of our mice and shrews, as deduced from the relative abundance of their remains in owl pellets. 1943 62 Joseph Wolf's long-eared owl suggests a morning crawling along the interlacing branches of a young larch plantation in the Highlands in search of middens of owl pellets. 2003 (Nexis) 26 Feb. 25 A trip to the golf course for him isn't complete without the chance to dissect an owl pellet and retrieve the tiny mouse bones therein. 1530 J. Palsgrave 250/1 Oules heed, hure. 1871 R. Browning 14 An outspread providential hand Above the owl's-wing aigrette. 1999 (Nexis) 15 Sept. d6 So were US Fish and Wildlife Service agents, pistols drawn, demanding his hawk claws and owl's wing decorations. 1878 J. B. L. Warren I. vi. 150 Who comes calling here in the name of wonder at owl-time? 1919 29 Nov. 688/1 The eucalyptus still was there At owl-time with no moon. 1993 (Nexis) 19 Dec. 1 c If you want to keep company with owls..you have to be there on owl time, which is somewhere between twilight and the first morning light. 2003 S. Ash xv. 179 ‘It's dark now; owl time,’ she told him. ‘Time for you to go home.’ C3. In the names of animals. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Rhopalocera (butterflies) > [noun] > miscellaneous types 1881 Mar. 819/1 The eyed-spot, or ocellus..is most effective where it appears alone as the most conspicuous..ornament upon its ground, as in the owl-butterfly. 1884 J. S. Kingsley (1888) II. 489 C. eurylochus or the ‘owl-butterfly’..being common throughout South America. 1972 L. E. Chadwick tr. W. Linsenmaier 198/2 This genus [sc. Caligo] is a representative of the purely South American family of the Brassolidae, or owl butterflies. 1994 19 June (Life Suppl.) 55/3 Numbers of owl-butterflies appeared—each as big as a spread hand, with blue-eyed grey wings—and landed silently on our shoulders and legs. the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > means of attracting fish > [noun] > real or imitation flies 1676 C. Cotton 335 Late at night is taken the Owl-fly. 1799 tr. (ed. 6) II. x. 298 The yellow-miller, or owl-fly. 1932 W. A. Riley & O. A. Johannsen xiv. 195 The Psychodidae, popularly known as moth flies, owl flies, sand flies, or papataci, are minute dark-coloured insects whose body and wings are densely covered with hairs. 1997 42 163 In some insects the eyes are actually double, e.g. in mayflies, the neuropteran owl flies.., and the nematoceran fly Bibio marci. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Diptera or flies > [noun] > suborder Nematocera > family Psychodidae > member of 1938 87 146/2 This method is especially useful for mounting fragile insects such as owl midges. 1991 C. McAney et al. 26 Family Psychodidae—Owl midges. the world > animals > mammals > order Primates > suborder Anthropoidea (higher primates) > [noun] > family Cebidae > genus Aotus (night-monkey) 1877 I. 188 The Owl Monkeys... The name given to these monkeys conveys their habit of sleeping by day, waking up in the evening, and leading a very restless life during the greater part of the night. 1930 W. M. Mann iv. 58 The douroucouli, owl monkey, or night monkey, of which we have had three species, is the only one of the family that is nocturnal. 1987 16 Apr. 639/3 Owl monkeys owe their name to the fact that, as an adaptation for vision in dim light conditions, the eyes have become secondarily enlarged. the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > Heterocera > [noun] > family Noctuidae > erebus strix 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence III. xxviii. 38 The great owl-moth of Brazil (Erebus Strix) in this respect is a larger fowl than the quail. 1926 Nov. 396/1 The largest of all American moths, the great owl-moth of tropical South America (Thysania agrippina) which measures almost a foot across its wings. 1992 4 Dec. 13 (caption) Professor Roger Kitching inspects an owl moth at O'Reilly's rainforest yesterday. the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Psittaciformes (parrots, etc.) > [noun] > genus Stringops (kakapo) 1861 XII. 630/1 Owl Parrot, a singular bird of the cockatoo family, of the genus strigops (Gray), found in New Zealand. 1876 A. R. Wallace I. xiii. 455 In the middle of the foreground is the Owl-parrot or Kakapoe (Stringops [sic] habroptilus), a nocturnal burrowing parrot..that has an owl-like mottled plumage and facial disc. 1991 17 110/1 Among the birds that include foliage as part of their diet,..owl parrots..are primarily folivorous. the world > animals > birds > perching birds > order Caprimulgiformes (nightjars, etc.) > [noun] > family Podargidae (frogmouth) 1869–73 II. 136 The Owl Swallows (Podargi). C4. In the names of plants. 1897 M. E. Parsons (1902) 52 During the spring the meadows about San Francicso are luxuriantly covered with the pretty blossoms of the owl's clover, which make showy patches in some places. 1942 27 768 Other species more characteristic of the drier places bordering the bog are..an owl-clover (Orthocarpus luteus). 1998 11 May 4 (caption) Staghorn cholla in a sea of flowering red owl's clover, Organ Pipe National Monument, Arizona. the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Compositae (composite plants) > [noun] > cudweeds 1787 W. Marshall Provincialisms in II. 385 Owlscrown, Gnaphalium sylvaticum; wood cudweed. 1880 J. Britten & R. Holland Owl's Crown, Filago germanica.—Norf. (general). 1893 E. R. Suffling in H. T. Cozens-Hardy (Eastern Daily Press) (ed. 2) 101 Owl's Crown, Wood cudweed. 1990 (Nexis) 22 July i. i. 24/5 The wood cudweed, or owl's crown, was also found in a remote Adirondack area in northern Herkimer County. society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > running during the night society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > public service vehicle > [noun] > omnibus > operating specific type of service society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > public service vehicle > [noun] > tramcar > types of 1856 8 Jan. 1/2 The ‘Owl Train’, due at Jersey City at five o'clock yesterday morning, did not arrive until afternoon. 1904 7 May 1 The driver of an ‘owl car’ that rattled eastward on Spring street. 1916 J. Lait 165 He passed the time of night with the owl clerk. 1947 24 June 10/2 Operators of all other all-night busses and trolleys have been directed to connect with the owl bus, just as they did with the..owl trolley. 2000 6 Aug. 19/2 Do you ever feel a sense of total immersion? Yeah, in particular when you're working the owl shift in this control room. Derivatives a1618 J. Sylvester tr. G. Fracastoro (1620) sig. D3 Owl-like in a Cloud involv'd. a1631 J. Donne (1633) 331 Now like an owlelike watchman, hee must walke. 1807 W. H. Ireland vi. 23 (note) The owl-like consequence transferred by a copious wig to the physiognomy of the wearer. 1921 26 581 Owl-like, the more light they have the darker their vision. 1990 June 136/3 He rolls my head manually, to loosen up the neck cartilage for an owl-like cervical spin. 2003 (2006) 306/2 One of the Lords of Xibalba is commonly depicted with an owl-like bird on his headdress. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). owlv. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: owl n. Etymology: < owl n. With sense 2 compare earlier owler n. and note at that entry, and also owling n. 2. the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > be or become wise [verb (intransitive)] > look wise 1656 T. Hobbes Six Lessons iv. 34 in Is it not therefore..well owlyd of you, to teach the contrary? society > trade and finance > illegal or immoral trading > trade in (goods) illegally or immorally [verb (transitive)] > smuggle > certain goods or items 1738 (title page) A Scheme for preventing our Wool from being Owled Abroad for the future, if put in Practice. 1957 G. D. Ramsay vi. 166 The muslin manufacture of Tarare, near Lyons..relied for its raw material upon the regular supply of English yarn owled abroad. the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > secrecy, concealment > stealthy action, stealth > stealthy movement > move stealthily [verb (intransitive)] > move around > esp. at night 1778 ‘P. Pindar’ 7 Wisdom..I've seen o'er pamphlets, with importance big, Mousing for faults or, if you'll have it, owling. 1893 G. E. Dartnell & E. H. Goddard 114 Owl about, to moon about out of doors in the dark. 1940 V. Woolf 12 Oct. (1984) V. 329 In London, now, or 2 years ago, I'd be owling through the streets. 1964 49 68 A dreamy, gifted character who frequently ‘owled about’..seeking to escape reality but..facing that which she could not flee with courage. 1975 J. Gould 199 Owlin' 'round, night roving, but not always the kind with dalliance in mind; a gentleman who can't sleep and gets up to make a glass of warm milk is owlin' 'round, too. the world > animals > birds > order Strigiformes or owl > [verb (intransitive)] > hoot 1941 (Writers' Program) 77 The hunters urge the best of their group to ‘owl for the stranger.’ 1965 19 Aug. 6/2 The hunter who can ‘owl’ properly is thus able to locate the position of the gobbler. 1984 (Nexis) Jan. 28 A turkey answered immediately. It was still plenty dark, so I took my time moving closer, owling periodically to keep the bird pinpointed. 1998 (Nexis) 1 Apr. d1 The next morning we went out to the same spot, owled (hooted), made him gobble, then sat down and started yelping and clucking with the call. Sure enough, here comes this gobbler charging up. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022). <  n.eOE v.1656 |
