He looks like an owl in an ivy bush; frequently said of a person with a large frizzled wig, or a woman whose hair is dressed a-la-blowze.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
Owl * OwlersNathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes