#figurative slang

• Tawny owl — A term borrowed from Italian or used as a rare loanword in ornithology to designate the tawny owl (Strix aluco), a medium-sized nocturnal bird of prey in the family Strigidae, featuring large dark eyes and a brownish-gray plumage that provides perfect camouflage on tree bark. Figuratively, in Italian and occasionally in literary slang, the term describes a dull, dazed, simple-minded, or easily fooled person.