ate like a bird
Picked at food
To eat like a bird is to eat very little, picking at food in small amounts.
The phrase plays on the image of birds pecking at seeds, though actual birds eat proportionally large amounts relative to their body weight.
She ate like a bird at dinner and barely touched her salad.
- eatConsume for sustenance
- calorie-consciousAttentive to food energy
- beakHorny avian mouthpart
- nibbleSmall, tentative bite
- peckDry measure or quick kiss
graze · portion control · dietitian · savor · intermittent fasting · low-calorie · abstain · nutrient-dense · sip · birdlike · balanced diet · taste · featherweight · birdbrain · fast · nestling · flighty · snack
quantity of food consumed
ate like a birdate like a horse
Consumed food ravenously
gorged · pigged out · devoured · wolfed down · ate like a pig
eating, eater, eaters, edible, inedible, like, liked, likes, liking