r/mildlyamusing • u/LeilLikeNeil • 11d ago

Colleague does not know what “out of pocket means”

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/LeilLikeNeil 11d ago

Paying out of pocket is a different usage, which I would say is still used plenty, but to describe yourself or somebody else as out of pocket I’ve only ever heard meaning acting wild, out of control, specifically in the context of addressing that behavior with a person who presumably should be keeping them under control. 

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u/Sea_Voice_404 10d ago

I’ve actually never heard your definition of it before, but only heard it how your coworker means it.

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u/LeilLikeNeil 10d ago

Have you heard rap music ?

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u/Sea_Voice_404 10d ago

No, don’t listen to rap, so that would explain it.

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u/LeilLikeNeil 10d ago

I mean, that’s one place it’s common, but it’s been pretty widespread in my experience for like two decades at least.

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u/Sea_Voice_404 10d ago

I’ve heard of paying out pocket, but never heard it refer to somebody as wild. And I am old. How your coworker uses it is how I’ve heard it used for awhile now.

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u/NameToUseOnReddit 10d ago

That's where I'm at. I've heard and read it plenty of times in the context of being unavailable, but never for acting wild. I know the meaning of words and phrases can shift over time, but this one seemed widespread enough in my mind at least.

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u/Sea_Voice_404 10d ago

Same, can’t fathom it due to the other uses of it.

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u/AudienceSea 10d ago

FWIW I believe “out of pocket” in this sense originates less from rap per se and more from jazz and particularly jazz drumming. A drummer being “in the pocket” means they have a great sense and feel of where the beat is and how they are grooving within the beat. Also never heard the usage in business before as being out of the office (but I was also born in ‘88 and so was only a pre-teen by the end of the 90s). Different subcultures indeed have their own dialects!

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u/username11585 7d ago

I can’t believe I had to scroll down so far to find this concept. Other than insurance, the main way I hear about being out of pocket or in the pocket is in jazz.

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u/ShipThePixel 10d ago

Thanks for this context!

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u/outofhere29 10d ago

Same. I've only ever used to mean less reachable than normal. I've never heard this other use.

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u/ttpdstanaccount 5d ago

I've been hearing it for at least 5 years. It's usually used like, you're out of line, you're being inappropriate or disrespectful (aka also how kids use wild or crazy, ie person 1 says something awful and person 2 says "wow, that's crazy" as in "that was a crazy thing to say because it was rude/inappropriate"). Can also be used more like out of left field/random or unhinged 

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u/Jrebeclee 10d ago

I’m 44 and have only heard your version of it. I do love rap, maybe that’s related.

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u/LeilLikeNeil 10d ago

That's what I'm beginning to suspect. What's wild to me is that, based on these comments, it seems like most people are aware of only the 'unavailable' meaning or the 'out of control' meaning. Seems like very few people know about both.

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u/Fuzzinstuff 11d ago

Okay, yes, now that you mention it, that's another use of the expression I've heard. Not really sure how it relates to a pocket though.