off one's feed
- idiom
- Informal
:
sin apetito
- The puppy has been off its feed; it hasn't eaten all day and seems unwell.
Examples
-
Since he caught a cold, he's been off his feed and has little energy to do anything.
-
After losing her job, she felt off her feed and struggled to find motivation.
-
He's still off his feed.
Antonyms
How Well
142
1.0
- Informal
- Informal
21
5.3
18
1.0
632
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from the parts: 'off' = not active/inactive, 'one's' = possessive, and 'feed' = a stream of social media content, so a learner who knows these words will infer someone is not engaging with their feed. The construction matches common English patterns (e.g. 'off work', 'off duty') and is conceptually straightforward rather than metaphorical, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Off one's feed comes from farm life: when a cow or pig stopped eating its feed, farmers would say it was 'off its feed'. That picture of not eating or having no energy now describes people who feel sick or sad.