Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 17:13:20 PDT

From: Duane Campbell dcamp[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]EPIX.NET

Subject: Re: out-of-pocket



--- On Thu, 9 May 1996 16:10:35 -0600 "Gregory J. Pulliam"

gpulliam[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CHARLIE.ACC.IIT.EDU wrote:



My father from Hannibal, Missouri tells me of a dispute he's involved in

regarding the term out-of-pocket. He and my mother, who's from Omaha, NE,

use the term to mean "not being where one is supposed to be,"



Here in Pennsylvania I can think of three different ways out-of-pocket is

used, none of which (is? are?) the same as your father's.



1. A casual expense. If you run a business, most payments are made by check

from an invoice, but there are always small out-of-pocket expenses.



2. An expense you pay for which you expect to be reimbursed. If you run an

errand for someone, you'd be reimbursed for your out-of-pocket expenses.



3. As an adjective modifying a person, meaning he got stuck. He may have

expected to get reimbursed, but he ended up out-of-pocket.



RE: my confusion with "none" above. What is the proper verb form for a subject

that is neither singular nor plural? Singular means one. Plural means more

than one. "None" is neither. Does usage vary from region to region?







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