Here are some idioms and words that you can use to talk about absence and truancy:
Long time no see. – used when you see sb you haven’t seen for a long time
Hello, Steve! Long time no see. Do you still live in New York?
absent without leave / AWOL – absent from a military unit without permission
The soldier was arrested because he was absent without leave / AWOL.
This idiom is also used in a general meaning if you are absent or missing, not necessarily from a military unit:
Senator Williams has been AWOL for the last two votes.
go AWOL – become absent without leave
Private Jensen is in a military prison now because he went AWOL last week.
an AWOL (plural: AWOLs) – a soldier who has gone AWOL
Some of the AWOLs are still missing.
out of town – temporarily not in your own town
Can you take care of my dog when I’m out of town?
a leave – a period of time when someone has special permission to be away from a job or from military service
I’m going to take an unpaid leave from work next month.
be on leave – have special permission to be away from a job or from military service
One of our teachers is on leave this semester, so we need a replacement.
so much for sb or sth – used when sb or sth should not be considered anymore
My parents returned earlier than planned. So much for our party.
So much for Luke. He just called he can’t come.
away from one’s desk – not available for a telephone conversation or to be seen right now
Mr. Jackson is away from his desk right now. Can you come back later or leave your telephone number so that he can call you back?
be conspicuous by one’s absence – have one’s absence noticed
His son didn’t come to the funeral. He was certainly conspicuous by his absence.
Here are some words and idioms related to school life:
cut class/lectures/school – skip going to class/lectures/school
She will take notes for me when I cut class.
I can’t cut school anymore. I don’t want to fail the exam.
truant – a student who misses school without permission
What are we supposed to do about the increasing number of truants in our school?
truancy – missing school without permission
We have a serious problem of truancy here.
You should be at school right now. Are you playing hooky again?
play hooky – miss school or an important meeting
Naturally, there are many more words and idioms that you can use to talk about absence and truancy, but these are the most used ones.
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