To Call Out
Act of telephonically escaping from work. Often involving the number 9. If one does not Call Out, one may accidentally Call In, mistakenly phoning Davey in shipping. He will talk and talk, regardless of how many times you tell him you called by mistake.

To Order Out
The freakish bastardization of To Call Out and To Order In. In some circles this curio of a phrase is used to differentiate ordering food for pickup versus delivery.

To Mail Out
An efficient disposal method for envelopes stuffed by interns.

To Make Out
A true linguistic puzzle. To Make calls for a concrete noun, but when applied to the foggy world of sexual contact it instead gets the elusive Out. The phrase seems to imply that one is creating the outdoor world. Though this is not the case confusion is understandable. Some sexual contact is certainly implied but just how much remains a point of contention. Some experts maintain that the only thing made is kissing. Others are willing to include heavy petting and oral sex as well. (During the worst of this ongoing feud, the former camp of specialists maligned the latter as "expert at being tramps".) Sometimes used to mean great success, e.g. Make Out Like A Bandit. It is unclear how far bandits -- in general or individually -- will go sexually. Most probably, second base.

To Put Out
No uncertainty here: the culmination of To Make Out. Presumably whatever product was not made in the first go round is now Put Out for one's partner. This development implies, perhaps, that "Out" is roughly synonymous with "genitals."

To Go Out
A lean, direct phrase that's efficiency has earned it a gradient of meanings. It can be very specific: To Go Out of a specific building or place. Or quite broad: To Go Out for an evening or into the city. If one has a regular partner for such activities, these two are said To Go Out, in a collective sense. "Jenny and Steve Go Out with each other." In this sense, To Make Out is implied, To Put Out a strong possibility.

To Point Out
The act of passive aggressively stating the obvious.

To Give Out
Similar to the unmodified verb "to give", however with several added shades of meaning. 1) Is normally done outdoors. 2) Item in question is given to strangers. 3) Given Out item is most likely a religious tract or sample bit of roast beef from the new roast beef place where the little café with the bathroom that smelled like brie used to be.

To Hand Out
Similar to To Give Out, only the proffered item is now desired by the recipient. As in welfare check, parental loan, corporate subsidy, etc.

To Lash Out
Out affects the verb "lash" in a unique way. Whereas "to lash" is a premeditated act of punishment, appending Out makes the event a surprise. Field overseers lash. Drunken schoolteachers Lash Out.

To Shout Out
To remove a stain with a popular, commercially available cleaning agent.

To Check Out
The act of leaving a hotel much earlier than is reasonable, often 10 a.m., so the staff can have your room cleaned and ready for the insane hate-mongers who want to check in to the hotel at 2 in the afternoon. These people, who have crushed the hopes of anyone who wants to sleep in on the last day of a trip, are, potentially, vampires.

To Hold Out
Literally, impossible. Out is far too large to be held. Indeed, whenever any part of Out is held, it becomes In. A truly senseless phrase.

To Out
Act of speculating wildly about an individual's sexuality.

« Previous Next »