Billy Wix
A traditional East Anglian dialect name for the barn owl (Tyto alba).
Definitions
A traditional East Anglian dialect name for the barn owl (Tyto alba). Dialect bird names like this were once common across rural England and represent a rich layer of localised natural vocabulary that has largely been superseded by standard English names. The origin of 'wix' in this context is uncertain.
A Billy Wix ghosted silently across the lane in the headlights, startling the driver.
Comments
(UK, dialect, East Anglia) The barn owl, .
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "Billy Wix".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "Billy Wix" (B)
Browse all slang words starting with B.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- chewit63%
A Lancashire dialect name for the lapwing (Vanellus vanellus), a common British wading bird known for its distinctive call. The name is likely imitative of the bird's cry. Dialect bird names like this were once common across English regional speech and are now mainly of interest to dialectologists and bird enthusiasts.
- piewipe60%
(UK, archaic, dialect, East Anglia, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire) A bird, the lapwing or peewit.
- glimmer-gowk60%
(UK, dialectal, obsolete) An owl.
- whistlewing59%
(dated, North America) The common goldeneye.