nobody home


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nobody home

1. No one is paying attention, as in She threw the ball right past him, yelling "Nobody home!"
2. The person being discussed is mentally impaired and so cannot understand, as in When the woman did not answer, he concluded it was a case of nobody home. Both usages transfer the absence of someone in a dwelling to absent-mindedness or mental deficiency, and are thought to have been invented by cartoonist and journalist Thomas Aloysius Dorgan ("TAD") around 1900. He often embellished his column with such punning amplifications as "Nobody home but the telephone and that's in the hands of the receiver," or "Nobody home but the oyster and that's in the stew."
See also: home, nobody
References in periodicals archive ?
And in the end, for the Dodgers, there was nobody home.
NO WEBB AND FLOW FOR L.A. DODGERS GET TO D-BACKS STARTER, BUT CAN'T SCORE ARIZONA 2, DODGERS 0
A source said: "The lights were on but there was nobody home.
Man U ace is sold dummy
They gingerly approached the first front doors - slender and personable women, one in jeans and the other in overalls - but they found nobody home.
Protest spurs registration drive
The top 10 from Liverpool HMV this week is: 1 Room On The Third Floor -- McFly 2 I'll Stand By You -- Girls Aloud 3 What You Waiting For -- Gwen Stefani 4 Jolene -- White Stripes 5 If There's Any Justice -- Lemar 6 So What Could I Do -- Cranebuilders 7 Ashes -- Embrace 8 Interstate Five -- Wedding Present 9 Thinking of You -- Paul Weller (pictured below) 10 Nobody Home -- Avril Lavigne Win a chart album of your choice by telling me the name of Embrace's lead singer.
Music: Charts
However, Tate, 62, who was known for a fiery, pleading stage act and a string of r&b hits, including ``Stop,'' ``Look at Granny Run Run'' and ``Ain't Nobody Home,'' wasn't built to withstand a relentless touring schedule, unscrupulous promoters and nearly nonexistent royalty payments.
THE RETURN OF HOWARD TATE
Earlier, the Navy had realized it erred in reporting the sailor's death and sent a telegram, but a boy delivering the message had found nobody home and discarded it.
Some WWII stories never heard before
Nobody home, small alarm coming from kitchen, it may be a timer.
Sterling Police Log
When there was nobody home they attacked an apparently innocent and random passer-by.
MAN CRITICAL AFTER HORROR KNIFE ATTACK; Gang slash innocent victim, 44, who was in 'wrong place at wrong time'
Known for: A string of '60s soul classics, including ``Stop,'' ``Look at Granny Run Run,'' ``Get It While You Can'' and ``Ain't Nobody Home.
AN R&B RESURRECTION SOUL STAR HOWARD TATE PUT HIS DESPAIR BEHIND HIM AND CLAIMED A GRAMMY NOMINATION
STORMONT'S lights may be turned off to save the planet - but many say there's nobody home anyway.
PARTY CALL FOR 'LIGHTS OUT' AT PARLIAMENT; Stormont urged to back climate change Earth Hour
The King/Lucille team also crafted definitive renditions of songs by other people, claiming as their own "The Thrill Is Gone," "How Blue Can You Get," "Hummingbird" and "Ain't Nobody Home.
More than the blues; By any measure, B.B. King is musical royalty
I had my back to the line but he saw there was nobody home.
Rugby Union: KNIGHTS JOY IS BIG BONUS; HEINEKEN CUP POOL 5: Ulster 29 L Irish 13 European hopes still alive after four-try victory
By looking across the desk at somebody's mother or sister, and finding nobody home inside.
VOLUNTEERS NEED TO HELP STOP THE VIOLENCE
There was nobody home at the 43-year-old mother's third-floor flat in Sillogue Avenue yesterday afternoon.
DUBLIN BUS TRAGEDY: THE VICTIMS: THERESA KEATLEY - Tributes to quiet mum
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