meat off
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To train an insectivorous bird to eat non-live food.
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
The birds, when secured, are placed in a store cage, and quickly conveyed to the bird dealers in the Seven Dials. These worthies then proceed at once to "meat them off" This is accomplished thus :— Some fresh raw beef is scraped; and being divested of all fibrous substance, it is mixed into a soft p
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “meat off” mean?
To train an insectivorous bird to eat non-live food.
Is “meat off” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.