What it means
A night-owl is someone who comes alive after dark, happiest working, scrolling or pottering about long past midnight while the rest of the house sleeps. Mornings are the enemy, but give them 11pm and they're wide awake and full of ideas. It's less a bad habit than a body clock that simply runs late.
Usage examples
"I'm a total night-owl, my best ideas always turn up around two in the morning."
"She's a night-owl and he's up at dawn, somehow they make it work."
"Don't ring me before ten, I'm a proper night-owl and my brain only clocks in after midnight."
"He'll be gaming and making toast at 1am easy, absolute night-owl behaviour."
Voice comments
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Where it comes from
It’s been around in English for centuries and comes straight from the owl’s reputation as a creature that’s active at night. People were already using night owl for someone who stays up late by the late 1500s. It stuck because the image is dead simple and still fits perfectly.
Editors of this term
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