Pass out

Posted by R. Berg on October 16, 2001

In Reply to: Pass out posted by Bob on October 16, 2001

: : : : : Is "passing out of school" wrong?

: : : : : Thanks.

: : : : : Deepthi

: : : : It's not standard, at least in American usage.

: : : In the U.S., a student "passes" a class if he completes the work and does well. He passes the class and goes on to the next level. A student in the U.S. either graduates from school or "drops out."

: : In the UK, it's used when leaving (successfully) a military academy - normally in the context of a 'passing-out parade'.

: I thought it sounded like a British usage. In the US, "passing out" means losing consciousness (usually from drink or exhaustion or fear) and nothing else.

"Obsolete words are those that have passed out of use." Transitively, "The teacher walked around the classroom passing out pencils."