May 22, 2001

out of pocket

Prior to working for the federal government, I thought the phrase out of pocket referred to having used one's own money for something. However, I have heard many people, albeit within the military realm of government, in which I happen to work, use the term to mean "he's not here/he's out of the office." At first I thought this was a "Hawaii thing" (where I work), but I have heard it from both military employees and civilian employees of the military, in Hawaii and in mainland-U.S. areas, too.

I won't go into detail about the financial senses of out of pocket, except to say that it's an adverb phrase that means 'lacking money or assets' or 'having suffered a financial loss'. As a hyphenated adjective, it could mean 'having no money', but usually refers to expenses that require cash to be paid when the expense is incurred. These expenses may be reimbursed, such as business-trip outlays, or unreimbursed, such as health-insurance copays.

Yes, out of pocket has come to mean 'unreachable, absent, unavailable'. Lurking on the Internet discussion group "alt.usage.english," I'm convinced that this "newer" meaning is at least 25 years old, originally not too common, but now increasingly used over a wide area. In fact the Dictionary of American Regional English promises out of pocket as a "coming attraction" in the forthcoming Volume IV. Their draft entry is labeled "Chiefly South and South Midland," a regional distribution that includes southern states (such as Georgia and Alabama), and states just above this region (such as Tennessee and Kentucky). However, I would add that out of pocket is also used in Hawaii (thank you!), on the West Coast, in the Midwest and West (especially in Texas), and even in the Northeast (such as in the financial districts of New York City).

Many explanations of this 'unreachable, unavailable' meaning have been put forth. The most reasonable one is that the original financial sense ("out-of-pocket expenses") took on a broader meaning, first used by bankers, brokers, and others employed in the financial sector. Here's the analogy: if you're on vacation rather than working, you're incurring expenses you wouldn't normally have. Another connection with the original financial sense: if you're out of the office, you're probably losing an opportunity to make money. By the way, if you take your cell phone or laptop with you on vacation, you're in pocket. Which brings me to another explanation: if your cell phone is not in your pocket, you're out of pocket. Sounds plausible until you realize the 'unreachable, unavailable' meaning of the phrase predates the popularity of pocket-sized cell phones.

Another possibility: if you're traveling, things are not readily available, accessible, or at hand-as they would be if they were "in your pocket." And finally, there are some who insist that this newer meaning of out of pocket is from football: if the quarterback is outside the 'pocket', the area cleared by blockers, he can't pass the ball safely.

The phrase out of pocket also means 'out of place; out of order', and often describes unacceptable behavior or situations. This meaning has its roots in Black English of the 1940s, and refers to the pockets on a pool table. An example from a recent edition of The Los Angeles Times: "Any outsider who would attempt to engage in that conversation would be out of pocket."

Carol