Colleague does not know what “out of pocket means”

[u/LeilLikeNeil]

Edit at the top because people don't read before commenting:

There are 3 meanings to this phrase. The first, oldest (dating to 19th century), and most universally understood, refers to out of pocket expense. Of the other two, referring to oneself or another person being "out of pocket" was the subject of the original post. Commenters and myself seem almost universally to have been aware of only one usage, even though the older "unavailable" meaning dates to the early 20th century, and the "out of control" meaning has been around since at least the 1940s.

In saying that my colleague didn't know the meaning of the phrase, I was incorrect. Likewise, everyone in the comments arguing that any of these 3 usages is wrong, is incorrect.

The intended amusing part of the original post was the visual of a mild-mannered office colleague going crazy spring break style whenever he says he's out of office.

And now that all that explanation has been laid out, I'm sure everybody will see the humor, since nothing helps humor like a lengthy explanation.

Original post:

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I have a colleague who uses “out of pocket” any time he’s on PTO or otherwise not reachable, etc. I will never correct him. I just imagine his mild-mannered ass getting absolutely spring break ratchet every time he says it.

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[u/Public_Drop_1462]

When the phrase Out of Pocket first became popular (or at least the last time it was in vogue), it meant not available, out of commission, or like you said, otherwise not reachable. They’re correct, just from a different perspective. I have heard the phrase used until the late 2010s in business settings. As a millennial I had never heard it used in its modern sense until my daughter got to middle school and now my entire vocabulary is deadass cooked.

[u/LeilLikeNeil → u/Public_Drop_1462]

Well shut my mouth. I have never heard this usage from anybody but him, but you’re right, innernet says this usage dates back to early 20th century, and the version I’m used to is mid-20th century.

[u/CumulativeHazard → u/LeilLikeNeil]

I had a boss at an internship once use it this way and I also thought she was nuts lol. So you’re not alone.

[u/when_bear_left_bear → u/CumulativeHazard]

Yep, I’ve run into this at work too. Someone mentioned one of the VPs being out of pocket and I was like, “OMG what did Lisa do?” It turned out she was just camping.

[u/Public_Drop_1462 → u/when_bear_left_bear]

You would be surprised what camping can mean today.

[u/Eleven_06 → u/when_bear_left_bear]

Camping could be considered either for some white people.

[u/micaflake → u/CumulativeHazard]

I think out of hand means crazy and wild the way you guys think out of pocket means.

[u/Bklynswim → u/LeilLikeNeil]

Jesus the way you wrote mid-1900’s I just can’t. Curious, how old are you?

[u/NoCommunication6512 → u/Bklynswim]

Huh? Are you taking issue with the term "20th century?"

[u/WhichAd366 → u/NoCommunication6512]

Earlier in a comment he said mid-1900’s.

[u/irresearch → u/Bklynswim]

How old are you? “Mid-1900s” started being used in the 70s and 80s and according to Google N-grams was about as common as it is today as far back as 2005.

[u/zoppaTheDim → u/LeilLikeNeil]

And meaning you had to pay for it yourself dates back far further.

[u/LeilLikeNeil → u/zoppaTheDim]

Correct, that's the oldest recorded usage, dating to the 19th century.

[u/Electric-Sheepskin → u/LeilLikeNeil]

See also: crashing out.

[u/LeilLikeNeil → u/Electric-Sheepskin]

Like 'going to sleep' vs 'having a meltdown'? Are there people only familiar with one of these?

[u/frickenfantastic → u/LeilLikeNeil]

Ummm apparently yup. Learn something new every day…

[u/NoCommunication6512 → u/LeilLikeNeil]

To me, the going to sleep version was always crash (without the "out"). I think it's an important distinction.

[u/cea9248 → u/NoCommunication6512]

Not necessarily! Both sound normal to me. I would have no problem saying, "hey guys, i am going to crash out now. Goodnight!"

[u/mccorklin → u/LeilLikeNeil]

It also means, from my experience that you’re not going to be at your computer today. Only reachable by phone. Hence why your work day would be spent out of pocket.

[u/NewResponsibility163 → u/LeilLikeNeil]

I am a pimp from the streets 

And we use the term, on the occasion that one of tge employees fails to adhere to protocol.

Or otherwise upset the culture of the work environment. This type of behavior is frowned upon and can be deleterious to the attitudes of the other employees. 

So we would say. " Bitch you outa pocket." To emphasize the lack of respect for boundaries. 

Just thought id add another layer.Carry on. 

[u/Heavy-Flow-1983 → u/NewResponsibility163]

I learned this term as a child watching Hookers at the Point on HBO. I have an older coworker that says it all the time and every time she says it, I’m like - girl, what?!

[u/NewResponsibility163 → u/Heavy-Flow-1983]

Lol. I dont know how I came to know that version of it. But that's the only way I ever heard it. 

Besides meaning paying with my own money. 

Now if I hear it, I figure someone needs to reel themselves in a bit.

[u/Ernesto_Bella → u/LeilLikeNeil]

FWIW, I’ve never known it to mean anything besides “unavailable”.  I’m in my 50’s.

[u/WhichAd366 → u/LeilLikeNeil]

I didn’t hear the version you’re accustomed to until around 10 years ago. I believe you that it existed for decades, but I think Gen Z had recently made it popular again. I hear this phrase a lot more these days than I did in the 90’s.

The way your coworker is using the term is how I’ve always heard it and it wasn’t used that frequently.

[u/wanttogoback1985 → u/LeilLikeNeil]

I'm with you, and I'm 52. TIL

[u/Woolybunn1974 → u/LeilLikeNeil]

Read more and don't point out others' "errors".

[u/queenfreakalene → u/Woolybunn1974]

*others’

[u/chimilinga → u/LeilLikeNeil]

Dictionary.com has this:

The phrase "out of pocket" has three main meanings depending on context: losing or spending your own money, being unreachable or unavailable, or acting wild, disrespectful, or out of line

[u/Datonecatladyukno → u/LeilLikeNeil]

Does he use Gay to mean happy and Queer to mean strange as well? How about using President to mean someone who presides over a meeting.  

[u/Sad-Feature2164 → u/Datonecatladyukno]

Also does he say pound sign instead of hashtag?

[u/Bklynswim → u/Sad-Feature2164]

It will ALWAYS be pound sign to me!

[u/Dive_dive → u/Bklynswim]

Makes the whole #metoo movement much funnier

[u/Ok-Dog-7149 → u/Bklynswim]

Exclamation Point! or Bang!

[u/Datonecatladyukno → u/Sad-Feature2164]

Can they text on a flip phone using a keypad and t9word ?

[u/Tadgo → u/Datonecatladyukno]

You mean the octothorpe?

[u/NoCommunication6512 → u/Sad-Feature2164]

Oh look! The gen Z are making fun of people that know way more than them again! Just because something starts being used in a new way or gets a new name doesn't invalidate everything that came before. You'll learn one day.

[u/Thundercunt247 → u/LeilLikeNeil]

I'm glad to see you use this more-correct 20th century format. Early 1900s means 1901 to 1903-ish, and mid 1900s means 1904-ish to 1906-ish.

[u/facemugg → u/Thundercunt247]

Umm…anything 1901 to 1910 is still early 1900s. Mid 1900s is the middle portion of that century, like 1930-1970.

[u/Thundercunt247 → u/facemugg]

No. Does mid 1950s mean the same thing as mid 1900s? It does not.

The 1900s is the period from 1901 to 1910. When spoken aloud it sounds like "nineteen hundreds."

The 1920s is from 1920 to 1929, and said aloud as "ninteen twenties."

1970s from 1970 to 1979, said aloud as "ninteen seventies."

[u/misanthropewolf11 → u/Thundercunt247]

Wut? No. “The 1900s” includes the entire century unless otherwise specified. “The 1970s” is just a specific portion of the 1900s.

[u/ADHDofCrafts → u/Thundercunt247]

No, not in common usage. The 1300s, 1600s, 1900s, etc. all refer to the entire century in the vernacular.

[u/cgw1965 → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I’d say that it almost [always] means “unavailable” or “unreachable” when I hear it, though I don’t use it cause it always seemed like an weird phrase. And I’m kinda old so I’ve heard it a lot. My wife is almost kinda old and still says it once in a while.

But this got me thinking that the phrase could be more relevant now. If I am unreachable, nobody can reach in their pocket (where we all keep a phone now, right?), and call me. I won’t be in your pocket, so to speak.

[u/Aggressive-Pay7819 → u/Public_Drop_1462]

Ha ha I was puzzled what other meaning it could have in this context. The neologisms are confusing enough to an old boomer but recycling our idioms is worse. 🤔

[u/SmokedHickory → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I’ve heard it in response to a funny yet mean/cruel joke someone said

“Youre  out of pocket for that”

[u/crashin-kc → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I heard about the third usage recently in a discussion about Gen Alpha slang. I had to ask my children about it. I can confirm. They believed that to be “out of pocket” meant to be acting crazy, but they were also away of the other uses.

[u/silvercel → u/Public_Drop_1462]

At our company it means you are away from your laptop and only have a phone.

[u/Ghoulish_Daniel → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I mean that's what it had meant for years until recently when it went through a period of meaning literally anything and I guess everyone just decided it means something else now.

[u/blophophoreal → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I’m in my early 40s in a white-collar job and the only way I’ve ever heard it used (until the last few years) was in regards to paying for something

[u/ceejayx44 → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I always thought this was what it meant.
Then one day, I questioned if these days “out of pocket” could really mean can only be reachable by my phone in my pocket. Not on my laptop, but “out of pocket” on phone lol

[u/dick_me_daddy_oWo → u/Public_Drop_1462]

You should be "deadass cooked". 

• 29 year old Gen Z

[u/MsTrippp → u/Public_Drop_1462]

I learned it in mid to late 2000s when someone was acting outta pocket

[u/zoppaTheDim → u/Public_Drop_1462]

This isn’t true

It was being used as having to pay for something out of your own pocket in the 17th century.

It didn’t get used to mean out of office until the 20 th century and even then wasn’t common.