meaning of "I am out of town"

[goodstudent]

"I am out of town, but will look and let you know."

What does "I am out of town" mean?

[5jj]

It means what the words say. The speaker is not in town . The speaker is away from his/her home or office.

What difficulty do you have with this?

[goodstudent]

Does it mean the speaker is not in his home/office? Or does it mean that the speaker is really not in town?

I did not understand if the phrase is just a description of another meaning or does it really mean "not in town"

[Barb_D]

The speaker is not in the town/city where they live/work. They are away.

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello, Goodstudent:

Tom: Can you attend an important meeting next week?

Mona: Oh, I am so sorry. I will be out of town all next week.

Tom: Where are you going?

Mona: To London.

Tom: Why?

Mona: I want to see how the preparations for the Olympics are coming along.

Tom: When will you be back in town?

Mona: In about seven days.

Tom: Well, have fun. I hear that British cooking has really changed and is now actually delicious.


HAVE A NICE DAY!

[goodstudent]

So town has a meaning of "home/office"?

London is also a town right? If Mona says I will be out of town, actually Mona will be in another town.

What if the speaker lives in a rural area? Can he still say "I will be out of town" if he is leaving the rural area to buy something in the town?

[Barb_D]

City, town, countryside. It doesn't matter. "I will be away from the geographic location you usually find me in."

[BobSmith]

The phrase is meant to be taken literally, as described several times above. However, I often say it (I lie) when I want to make sure not to be bothered on a day off.

[Raymott]

The phrase is meant to be taken literally, as described several times above. However, I often say it (I lie) when I want to make sure not to be bothered on a day off.

Ah, your secret's out!