absent without leave


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absent without leave

Not present for a duty or situation without permission. The phrase is usually used in reference to military service, and is often abbreviated with the acronym "AWOL." The young soldier was arrested for being absent without leave.
See also: absent, leave, without
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

*absent without leave

absent from a military unit without permission; absent from anything without permission. (AWOL is an abbreviation. This is a serious offense in the military. *Typically: be ~; go ~.) The soldier was taken away by the military police because he was absent without leave.
See also: absent, leave, without
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

absent without leave

Away without permission or explanation, as in Her daughter went to the mall but got in trouble for being absent without leave. The term and its acronym, AWOL, originated in the American military during World War I for soldiers absent from duty without permission (leave). It later was transferred to civilian situations, as in John didn't just cut his Tuesday classes; he went AWOL.
See also: absent, leave, without
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive ?
The 24-year-old, of Groes Lwyd, Abergele, was handed five months' detention by a court martial at Catterick in March, after admitting two counts of being absent without leave (AWOL).
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"A full investigation is carried out whenever someone is absent without leave and, where necessary, action is taken to improve security and leave arrangements."
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Swift could have faced the more serious charge of desertion, which applies to soldiers absent without leave for more than 30 consecutive days.
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A spokeswomen for County Durham and Darlington Priority Services NHS Trust said: "There was an incident on August 6 at around 10pm which involved a patient being absent without leave for a short time.
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England were in front after only nine minutes when a through ball by Norwich's Ryan Jarvis found the French absent without leave.
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It is understood the Army contacted police after L Cpl Atkinson was declared absent without leave when he failed to return to his base at Waterbeach barracks, near Cambridge, on January 4.
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-AT least 3,300 soldiers - the equivalent of FIVE battalions - went absent without leave for more than three weeks last year, it was revealed yesterday.
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AWOL cop, 28 others arrested for drugs in Quezon City !-- -- Emmanuel Tupas (The Philippine Star) - January 10, 2019 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines A policeman who had gone AWOL or absent without leave was arrested in a drug sting in Quezon City on Tuesday.
AWOL cop, 28 others arrested for drugs in Quezon City
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An insider told the publication that the collective forces are going through files to double check if any SAS soldier or reservist went absent without leave or ran amok.
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However, I would argue that they are absent without leave, not doing what they are paid for and in many ways, making their party and the Assembly look amateurish, archaic, introverted and even xenophobic.
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The 20-year-old, from The Yorkshire Regiment, was in court after being arrested by West Yorkshire Police under the Armed Forces Act for being absent without leave.
AWOL soldier returns to Army
An Army spokeswoman yesterday confirmed Methven had been locked up after admitting being absent without leave.
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After six months on the frontline, the 20-year-old returned to Tyneside and went absent without leave, distressed by what he had witnessed in the war zone.
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