English · Idiom Historical

blind as an owl

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Owls are not blind, but being night birds, they see better in partial darkness than in the full light of day.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Owls Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “blind as an owl” mean?

Owls are not blind, but being night birds, they see better in partial darkness than in the full light of day.

Is “blind as an owl” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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