meaning - 'Not feeling clever' - how far does this extend?


The other day, when my wife was unwell, I happened to mention to a relative in Norfolk that she wasn't 'feeling too clever'. He instantly knew what I meant.


But it made me wonder how far this idiom extends. I'm sure I have heard it used in other parts of Britain, but is it universal throughout the Anglosphere?



Answer



It's certainly still used here near Manchester (but less than was once the case).


Oxford Dictionaries give the sense, labelling it as an informal British usage:



clever 2 [PREDICATIVE, WITH NEGATIVE] British informal


Healthy or well:


I was up and about by this time though still not too clever.



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