ivy bush
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Like an owl in an ivy bush; a simile for a meagre or weasel-faced man, with a large wig, or very bushy hair.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
So sánh với người gầy hoặc mặt nhọn với tóc bù xù
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “ivy bush” mean?
Like an owl in an ivy bush; a simile for a meagre or weasel-faced man, with a large wig, or very bushy hair.
Is “ivy bush” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.