Misprints or my bad knowledge?

[Humble]

Tnx, Tom,
I found another example in my A.S.Hornby:
The mere smell of garlic put him off his supper.
Now the penny seems to start dropping. Can we rehprase it this way:
He was put off his supper by the nasty smell. ?
You see, at first glance I couldn't perceive any adverbial qualities in off. Besides, I have never seen the preposition by used this way.
So I admit I'm still poor at English.
What do you make of these sentences:
1. We were put off the cottage by its gloomy looks.
2. I was put off the guy by his smutty jokes.
TIA

[tom slocombe]

Hi Humble, yes these sentences are fine.

Tom

[mykwyner]

In this case, I'd say that put off is an idiomatic expression meaning repulsed by.

In British English, speakers often drop articles (definite and indefinite) that American (and possibly other) English speakers always use.

We both say that he is in bed, or he is in school, but I've never heard an American say he is in hospital or attending university.

[Humble]

Hello,
I've just looked through all my posts and discovered that I haven't given my thanks to the contributors. BTW I felt vindicated when I quoted this BBC phrase
Three-quarters of employers would be put off a job candidate by poor spelling or grammar, a survey suggests.
in (on?) another forum and two native speakers (an American and an Aussie)found it ungrammatical. I mean it was their immediate reaction.
Thank you very much. Have a nice weekend.