Out of Pocket

[Doug_Harris]

I've heard that, too, and it _is_ strange, and totally nonsensical. They may
be out of reach, or out of touch, or even, perhaps, out of bounds, but
unless they previously were _in_ a pocket, it's hard to imagine why being
unavailable places them outside of one.
dh

David Metevia wrote:
Subject: Out of Pocket

I usually associate this phrase with expenses, specifically health care
expenses not covered by insurance.  However, I hear both work colleagues
and friends & family use the term to describe people who are unavailable
(under the weather, out sick, or just incommunicado).  This sounds
strange to me.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org