To Be MIA

Context #1

Tod: Hey, have you seen Kim lately? She hasn't come to class for like a week.

Joe: Yeah I know. She's MIA. I tried calling her a couple of days ago but I couldn't get a hold of her.

Tod: I hope she's alright.

Context #2

Kelly: Hey Christine! Long time no see! How have you been? I haven't seen you at the gym for a while.

Christine: Yeah, I was MIA for a while. I went back to New York to spend Christmas with my family. I just got back a few days ago.

Kelly: I see. I heard it was freezing in New York.

Christine: Yeah, I'm happy to be back in warm sunny California.

Meaning: "to be MIA" means to be "missing in action." You can use this idiom when someone "disappears" and you don't see them for a long time. Practical idioms like this are taught in the Speaking and Conversation classes at LSI. For more information please visit www.languagesystems.com