Annual leave

[MrsHathaway]

Pet peeve.

"Sorry, she's on annual leave. Do you want her voice mail?"

No she almost certainly isn't. She's on holiday using some of her annual leave entitlement.

Annual leave would be leave you take once a year, every year.

Annual leave entitlement is the entitlement to leave that one has in a given year.

This drives me nuts because it feels like the "myself" hypercorrection. "Annual leave" isn't a posher word for "holiday"; they aren't even synonyms.

As you were.

Are you ok? (Head tilt)

[twitch]

Ha! Ha! Ha! Yes, exactly.

I say this. I'm very sorry.

I think it's because saying someone is on holiday sounds (correctly) like they couldn't give a shiny fuck about your query Madam whereas saying they're on annual leave sounds like oh fair enough they're entitled to it

People use their annual leave entitlement for things other than being on holiday though...

its a very difficult one to phrase. I haven't found the solution yet.

"She is out of the office at the moment and will be back on Thursday 9th."

Not hard.

A receptionist at my old work used to use it if you were, for example, taking half a day to go to the dentist

That is, she'd look at the system and see "AL" against your name and say "MrsH is on annual leave" whether I was in the Bahamas I wish or having a pill check. Foreigners found it particularly confusing (used to have lots of foreign contacts).

I disagree, I think it's valid.

If I book a day's holiday (or take a half day for a medical appointment, or any other reason) I am on leave; that time comes from my annual leave entitlement. I am on annual leave; I am not on maternity leave, I am not on sick leave, I an not on garden leave, I am not on bereavement or compassionate leave; I am not absent without leave.

The extra description gives a level of information about when I will be contactable again.

"She is out of the office at the moment and will be back on Thursday 9th."

Not hard.

Situation dependent, but that doesn't necessarily provide suitable information: I am often out of the office (strictly speaking, I'm always out of the office) but that doesn't mean I'm not contactable - I might be able to take phone calls, texts or emails.

Disagree with OP and agree with WMittens

I would say someone is on annual leave if they are using their annual leave entitlement - getting hair done, doctor's appointments, just chilling out. To me, holiday is when you go away. not had a holiday for years