to be out of
Context #1:
Sam: Oh man! I wanted to cook dinner tonight, but I’m out of rice.
Jim: No problem. I can take you to the store to get some more.
Sam: Ok, thanks! Let’s go.
Context #2:
Waitress: Can I take your order?
Julie: Sure. I’ll have the mahi mahi.
Waitress: I’m sorry! We’re out of the mahi mahi.
Julie: Really! Well then, I’ll have the salmon.
Meaning: to be out of something means that something is all gone, no longer available, or sold out. This is a very common idiom in American English.
This idiom was taken from the LSI textbook “Speaking Transitions” which is used at LSI schools to teach Level 4 Speaking and Listening. For more information, please visit www.languagesystems.com
Thank you Ty!
