Hi, Mark!  Recently you wrote in a message to Paul Quinn:   
      
   ak>  PS: can I say "out of pocket"?   
      
   PQ>  You can, if you're broke (have no money).   
   PQ>  It may be slang here, I'm not sure.   
      
   ml>  i dunno either... i've never heard it used like   
   ml>  that... "out of pocket" has always meant "out of   
   ml>  touch" for me...   
      
      
            Interesting.  I'd never heard this phrase used the way you use it,   
   but Dallas found similar explanations in THE URBAN DICTIONARY and in THE   
   DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN REGIONAL ENGLISH.   
      
            The definitions in our OED, OXFORD CANADIAN, GAGE CANADIAN, and   
   RANDOM HOUSE WEBSTER'S are limited to those offered by Paul & Roy.   
      
            AFAIK "out of pocket" (with added hyphens in three of the sources   
   I've mentioned) may be regarded as a colloquialism in some circles but is not   
   slang. Because it is metaphorical, however, it is also subject to   
   interpretation.  ;-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)