Meaning
Extremely wise, shrewd, or judicious; said admiringly of good judgement, or affectionately and often playfully of a quiet, knowing person, especially a child or an elder. The comparison is so conventional that it can sound like a stock phrase or light irony rather than high praise. Warm or gently ironic register, common in family, school, and children's contexts. Regional use: General English.
Origin
The owl's link with wisdom comes from ancient Greece, where the little owl accompanied Athena, goddess of wisdom (Minerva in Rome) - the species Athene noctua still bears her name - and the bird has served as a symbol of knowledge throughout the Western world. Wikipedia notes, however, that the original reasons for the Athena-owl association are uncertain, and that medieval Europe more often gave the owl negative meanings such as darkness and mourning. The English nursery rhyme about a wise old owl first appeared in Punch on 10 April 1875 and was described as apparently older than that. No reliable source checked here pins down the earliest use of the exact simile; it is simply recorded as proverbial by the 19th century.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- a wise old bird
- as solemn as an owl
- as wise as an owl
- wise old owl
Usage Examples
- Grandfather listened to both sides of the argument and then gave a ruling as wise as an owl.
- Ask Nnamdi before you sign anything; at seventy he is as wise as an owl about contracts.
- The librarian, wise as an owl after forty years among the stacks, knew exactly which out-of-print title I needed.