For the second time I have read someone using the phrase "out of pocket" to mean away, not available, out of reach. It rings oddly. And yes, both would be people younger than I am and reasonably intelligent, so this may be a new use of the term rather than a mistake.
8 comments:
I've heard and used the term for 50 years, primarily in business setting. Means a person is unavailable and often, unreachable. I don't know its etymology.
I too have heard and used the phrase for at least 50 years to mean unavailable, possibly unreachable. Also mostly in business settings, so perhaps not used in your field of work.
The more common usage is probably related to money... out of pocket expenses as in insurance deductibles. Or, in tax terms, not a deductible expense which does not necessarily apply to insurance deductibles. Note to self: avoid googling etymology of phrases like this because now I need a nap.
It's an old phrase. I've heard various stories about its origin; the most likely one from my perspective is journalism, where war correspondents might go with units out of communications reach of their home offices for days or weeks at a time. The old Agency folks I knew used it exactly that same way for agents they were running who couldn't be reached for a while, or for themselves if they were to go where it wouldn't be possible or safe to reach them.
Looking at the excerpt you quoted from Alfred ("Creepyquack") Kinsey, I'd say his conscience fit engineerlite's definition of "out of pocket".
"At this point, people have been curious about the “unreachable” meaning of “out of pocket” for decades: Barb’s query in 2015; Mark Liberman’s (languagelog) blog post in 2009; Patricia O’Conner’s Grammarphobia post in 2007; Jan Freeman’s column in 1997; and William Safire’s column in 1980."
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/3-meanings-of-out-of-pocket
Likewise, I've heard it used that way all my life.
I believed (probably incorrectly given Douglas2's link) that it was a sports reference. The pocket can mean the catching part of a baseball glove, hockey goalie's glove, or the net of a lacrosse stick, so that's what I thought it referenced, but again I'm probably wrong about that.
The OED says this usage goes back to 1908.
Looking through the article Douglas2 linked, I was surprised that it can also mean out of line or extremely rude. I don't think I've ever heard it used that way, and that usage is not in the OED.
I've heard it but have the impression it came back in style a few years ago.
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