FINOCJ previously posted:
"learning something new...I know 'out of pocket' as expenses paid by the person (as opposed to company charge etc)....
so I looked up the new usage: It means something is paid from personal funds. Somehow "out of pocket" has become a new business catchphrase meaning "unreachable, out of communication", "unavailable",
wonder if it relates to a cell phone or electronic communication device as being 'out of pocket'and thus the person doesn't have it and is not reachable?"
Definitely not a new phrase. Been using it for about 40 years. Maybe just coming back around. But yes it means unavailable or otherwise committed.
So doing a quick search I see references to it's use all the way back to the 1946 Sunday Times.