ivy



like an owl in an ivy bush

With a vacant stare, often due to drunkenness. Ivy bushes were thought to be enjoyed by both owls and Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. Whenever Rob drinks, he eventually looks like an owl in an ivy bush, gazing off into the distance at nothing.
See also: bush, ivy, like, owl

the Ivy League

  (American)
a group of old and very good colleges in the north-east of the US The company thinks the best management trainees come from the Ivy League. (American)
See also: ivy, league

Ivy League

A preppy clothing style. Named for the athletic federation of Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale, “Ivy League” described a 1950s and '60s men's fashion: pants with no pleats and a buckle in the rear. The buckle could be used to expand or shorten the waist fit, although it was primarily for adornment. There were also British-influence narrow-brim caps that had a buckle in the back. Why “Ivy League”? The schools were considered (at least by some) to be sophisticated, elite, and thus worthy of emulation, an attitude that their students did little to disabuse.
See also: ivy, league

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
GustavGOO-stahf (German)Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German
GervÁSio-Portuguese
Lange['læŋə]
Ellison['elisən]
PÀDraig-Scottish
Mignon-Literature