word detective:

Pocketapocketapocketa.

Dear Word Detective: I am having an argument with my brother. He insists that the
phrase "out of pocket" refers to expenditure from one's own resources, with the
expectation of later reimbursement. I contend that one is "out of pocket" when one
cannot be reached, is outside of the place where one can contact or be contacted. He has found a legal brief to support his position and I want something from another expert that challenges his brief. -- Dr. Nancy Tarsi, via the internet.

You know, I'm not entirely sure I want to get involved in this argument if you folks are already waving legal briefs at each other. Am I going to have to testify in court? I should warn you that I grew up watching the old Perry Mason TV series, and the moment I land in the witness box I'm likely to break down and confess to all sorts of shocking, if somewhat irrelevant, transgressions.

I'm especially apprehensive about answering your question because I'm afraid that
your brother's case is very strong. "Out of pocket" is indeed usually used as a sort of shorthand for "paying out of one's own pocket that which should (and usually ultimately will) be paid by someone else." Interestingly, the original sense of "out of pocket" when it first appeared around 1693 was not so hopeful. It meant to be either "broke" or "the loser in a financial transaction."

However, and here's where your case gains strength, around 1974 "out of pocket" also started being used to mean "out of touch" or "unavailable." No one seems to know exactly why this sense arose or what the "pocket" in this case might be. Personally, I suspect that it's a bad translation of some French phrase. In any case, this sense of "out of pocket" is not, as far as I can tell, widely used. A more common phrase meaning the same thing is "out of the loop," which first appeared around 1983 and is probably rooted in computer terminology.

But the bottom line is that you're both right, although your brother is a bit more likely to be clearly understood when he uses "out of pocket."

word mavens: (this mentions that it has been discussed at alt.usage.english)

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20010522

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