Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2015 October 6

= October 6 =

Why are the sides of pages on a dictionary coloured with dots?
Why are the sides of pages on a dictionary coloured with dots? &mdash;Skyllfully (talk &#124; contribs) 13:22, 6 October 2015 (UTC)


 * If you're talking about what I think you're talking about, they should match up with the letters that they cover. So one dot would be the A section, another would be the B section, and so on. Dismas |(talk) 13:27, 6 October 2015 (UTC)


 * I thought Skyllfully meant the "sprinkled edges" you will find with some older fat books. Wikisource has a description of the technique in Joseph Zaehnsdorf's  The Art of Bookbinding (Chapter 16), for example. I don't know why some reference works still do this, while most other types of books don't. ---Sluzzelin  talk  13:58, 6 October 2015 (UTC)


 * Thanks Sluzzelin that was what I was looking for! &mdash;Skyllfully (talk &#124; contribs) 19:57, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

What is a "romantic relationship with an owl" and is this right?
I saw my niece today she is a very intelligent young woman in her early 20s and I have always been proud of her. Today she told me that she was in a "romantic relationship with an owl", and asked me to accept it. Am I being old fashioned - what does she mean? Question of owl (talk) 13:52, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * She means it's none of your business who she's in a relationship with and don't hassle her to find out! --TammyMoet (talk) 14:12, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * That's certainly possible. Another possibility might be that she is romantically involved with human person who identifies as an Otherkin, and considers themselves in some sense to be all or part owl. See also Roleplay. SemanticMantis (talk) 14:55, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Ask her if she has recently read a book by Anahareo. Could be a literary allusion. 91.155.193.199 (talk) 15:07, 6 October 2015 (UTC)


 * Could be an older, wiser lady, but she could also be involved with a jock from Temple University, a member of a secret fraternal society, a member of an indie rock band, or any of several other things. Why don't you just ask her "What the heck's an owl?" Deor (talk) 15:47, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

Thank you for your replies so far even the person who told me to mind my own business! The impression I had when I asked her about it is that by "owl" she means the feathered bird of prey if that helps, although I still do not understand how and what this means. Question of owl (talk) 16:04, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Googling "urban dictionary owl", various possibilities arise, none of which have to do with actual owls. If someone tells you they're dating an owl, ask them what they mean by "owl". And if they say, "It's none of your business", your response should be, "Then why did you bring it up?" ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 17:33, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * She probably means that she's single and has an owl as a pet. --Viennese Waltz 17:49, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * By what wording did she convey that "by 'owl' she means the feathered bird of prey"? You obviously have more information than us mere Reference desk habitues. Could you ask her if she means literally an owl or figuratively? Ask her if her relationship with the owl is pleasant. Ask her if the owl has talons. Ask her if the owl's trait for wisdom rings true in her relationship with the bird. Bus stop (talk) 17:58, 6 October 2015 (UTC)


 * Googling the acronym OWL, I get a LOT of hits for "older, wiser lesbian." I'd say in the context of the OP's post, that's what we're talking about.  Dating (say) the starting quarterback at Temple University's football team wouldn't lead the OP's niece to ask for "acceptance," unless the OP was a Princeton fan or something similar.
 * Dating an actual bird seems a touch far-fetched, OP, but if your niece is sticking to that story... our article Alex_(parrot) tells the story of an African Grey parrot named Alex who (according to animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg) had the intellectual capacity of a human two year-old. Dr. Pepperberg wrote a touching article about Alex, describing her profound grief over his premature death (at the age of 31 - African Greys can live to be sixty) and, apart from his remarkable level of cognitive development, his endearing personality - they'd worked together for thirty years.
 * So a dating relationship with an actual owl, while outré, isn't entirely out of the question. loupgarous (talk) 18:18, 6 October 2015 (UTC)
 * "There was a young lady from Exeter..." ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 05:41, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

Still another meaning for "owl" is a simply person who keeps late hours, as opposed to a "lark", who keeps early hours. --174.88.134.156 (talk) 01:02, 7 October 2015 (UTC)


 * List of birds displaying homosexual behavior might be useful. That powerful owl sure seems proud. InedibleHulk (talk) 07:02, 7 October 2015 (UTC)


 * She could be dating a Sheffield Wednesday fan.--Ykraps (talk) 21:56, 7 October 2015 (UTC)