DCHP-3

live off the country

Esp. North
DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

Entry from the DCHP-1 (pre-1967)

This entry may contain outdated or offensive information, terms, and examples.

subsist on the food available in a region, as game, fish, berries.

Quotations

1913
The Indians . . . live off the land during the summer.
1914
The Indians have proved that one can live off the country, but it keeps them busy hunting and fishing from one year's end to another, ever following the movements of the game.
1944
At times they were near starvation, for they lived "off the country" and were entirely dependent on the goodwill of the Indians. . . .
1966
Eskimos in the area [Boothia Peninsula] live off the land.