Missing out on?

Question

I am looking for an English idiom which I cannot remember the correct form of. It is something like "missing out" or "missing out on" -

e.g. Don't you think you're /missing out on/ something when you are not having any time to play with your classmates?
I cannot remember the correct idiom - can anybody help here? It is very frustrating that I cannot remember it at all and I cannot find the sentence in my dictionaries.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I am looking for an English idiom which I cannot remember the correct form of. It is something like "missing ... It is very frustrating that I cannot remember it at all and I cannot find the sentence in my dictionaries.[/nq]
I know it as "missing out on".

Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.english.usage)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I am looking for an English idiom which I cannot remember the correct form of. It is something like "missing ... It is very frustrating that I cannot remember it at all and I cannot find the sentence in my dictionaries.[/nq]
"losing out"?

Cheers, Harvey
CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed

Usenet · Answer

"Peter Duncanson (BrE)" (Email Removed) skrev i meddelelsen
[nq:2]I am looking for an English idiom which I cannot ... all and I cannot find the sentence in my dictionaries.[/nq]
[nq:1]I know it as "missing out on".[/nq]
Thank you!

Usenet · Answer

"HVS" (Email Removed) skrev i meddelelsen
[nq:1]On 07 May 2009, Arne H. Wilstrup wrote[/nq]
[nq:2]I am looking for an English idiom which I cannot ... all and I cannot find the sentence in my dictionaries.[/nq]
[nq:1]"losing out"?[/nq]
No, it was not what I meant - I meant "missing out on something" - may be "losing out" is a synonym?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]On 07 May 2009, Arne H. Wilstrup wrote "losing out"?[/nq]
[nq:1]No, it was not what I meant - I meant "missing out on something" - may be "losing out" is a synonym?[/nq]
There is no specific idiom, but "missing out on..." is perfectly idiomatic in AmE: The father who works long hours to get ahead may be missing out on the best parts of family life.
"Losing out" could be used, but the expression is usually used to express missing parts of something. Losing out would imply that the whole thing is lost.

Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

Usenet · Answer

If you are so sure that you meant "missing out on", why are you looking for another idiom for it. Why did you ask your question.
[nq:2]- may be "losing out" is a synonym?[/nq]
IF maybe it's a synonym, why did you say so firmly "it was not what I meant"? You confuse me.

[nq:1]There is no specific idiom, but "missing out on..." is perfectly idiomatic in AmE: The father who works long hours ... expression is usually used to express missing parts of something. Losing out would imply that the whole thing is lost.[/nq]
You confuse me too. Which expression is usually used to express missing parts? Losing out? Missing out? AFAIK, neither means that.

"Losing out" also refers, where I've lived, to losing an opportunity or whatever it takes to make one meaning of "losing out" synonymous with "missing out".

Posters should say where they live, and for which
area they are asking questions. I have lived in
Western Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis 10 years
Chicago 6 years
Brooklyn, NY 12 years
Baltimore 26 years

Usenet · Answer

"mm" (Email Removed) skrev i meddelelsen
[nq:1]If you are so sure that you meant "missing out on", why are you looking for another idiom for it. Why did you ask your question.[/nq]
I recall something about "missing out" or something like that. That is why I am sure that I did not mean anything about loosing. And I have now been confirmed that the sentence "missing out on something" is correct, so I have got an answer of my question.
What you seem to think is that I just meant any idiom or sentence about missing something, but as I stipulated in my attempt to get close to what I have heard years ago, I made an example sentence to explain what I meant. Did you miss that?
So according to my example you could not, I think, use "losing out" unless it is a synonym for the sentence "missing out on".

I hope that this explanation show without doubt why I asked the question.
[nq:1]IF maybe it's a synonym, why did you say so firmly "it was not what I meant"? You confuse me.

[/nq]
Sorry - I did not mean to confuse anybody. You probably know the situation: you know that there is something to be said about an event, but it cannot come to your mind how strong you ever try to remember it. In my age it might be a warning of a blood clot in the brain :-( - but you are young so you probably don't observe it so much.
[nq:2]There is no specific idiom, but "missing out on..." is ... Losing out would imply that the whole thing is lost.[/nq]
[nq:1]You confuse me too. Which expression is usually used to express missing parts? Losing out? Missing out? AFAIK, neither means ... have lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 10 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years[/nq]
I have lived in Denmark for many years - actually I am a Dane. Does this satisfy you?

Usenet · Answer

"tony cooper" skrev i meddelelsen
[nq:1]There is no specific idiom, but "missing out on..." is perfectly idiomatic in AmE: The father who works long hours ... expression is usually used to express missing parts of something. Losing out would imply that the whole thing is lost.[/nq]
Thank you very much! What a relief: it was the way I remembered it but what I was uncertain of.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]If you are so sure that you meant "missing out ... another idiom for it. Why did you ask your question.[/nq]
[nq:1]I recall something about "missing out" or something like that. That is why I am sure that I did not ... what I have heard years ago, I made an example sentence to explain what I meant. Did you miss that?[/nq]
Maybe. I understand now. Thank you, and thanks for not being angry about the question.
[nq:1]So according to my example you could not, I think, use "losing out" unless it is a synonym for the sentence "missing out on". I hope that this explanation show without doubt why I asked the question.[/nq]
[nq:2]IF maybe it's a synonym, why did you say so firmly "it was not what I meant"? You confuse me.

[/nq]
[nq:1]Sorry - I did not mean to confuse anybody. You probably know the situation: you know that there is something ... a blood clot in the brain :-( - but you are young so you probably don't observe it so much.[/nq]
I'm getting there. Thank you.
[nq:2]You confuse me too. Which expression is usually used ... 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years[/nq]
[nq:1]I have lived in Denmark for many years - actually I am a Dane. Does this satisfy you?[/nq]
Yes, but it's not just for my sake that I ask. I'm only a tiny part of the reason. It's for all those people who try to answer questions, but are stymied because they don't know the kind of English the poster wants to hear about, or they don't know which kind he is speaking. And for those who give answers that don't help because they assume the OP lives in the UK when he really lives in the US or Australia, or vice versa. Or for those who don't try to answer because they don't want to write a treatise covering every part of the English speaking world and don't know where the poster lives, or what dialect he's asking about.
Mayube I should enlarge my sig to make that clear??

Posters should say where they live, and for which
area they are asking questions. I have lived in
Western Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis 10 years
Chicago 6 years
Brooklyn, NY 12 years
Baltimore 26 years

Usenet · Answer

"mm" (Email Removed) skrev i meddelelsen

My lecturer at university (native English speaker) wrote about an English presentation of English Drama a.o.:
Rather standard presentation, factual and issue-oriented rather than theoretical, scholary or analytical. Some linguistic infelicities.

Others here have said the same about my English skills. My only excuse is that having a full time job along with the university studies, makes it very difficult to achieve a better standard as I am not able to read the whole time, moreover, I am 58 so I am not a quick learner.

So your misunderstanding does not lead me to be angry, rahter sorry that I have not been able to express my questions better than I did. This vexes me a lot. I thank you for your answers - especially your attempt to give me an answer.
I understand your notion about the English varieties, I think :-)

Thank you for answering me - I certainly don't hope that I am missing out on anything you wrote about here :-) and I also do not hope that you got the impression that I was angry at all? (it might have been a kind of irony when you thanked me for not being angry with you in my answers here?)

Missing out on?

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