Meaning of OUT TO LUNCH - A Really Short English Lesson with Subtitles

So in English, the phrase, "Out to lunch,"

probably doesn't mean what you think it means.

If you say, "Someone is out to lunch,"

it doesn't mean that they've gone to a restaurant,

and that they're having something to eat,

for the middle meal of the day that we call lunch.

If you say, "Someone is out to lunch,"

it means that they are confused a lot,

or they don't understand instructions very well,

or that they're always doing things wrong.

Maybe you have someone at work,

maybe someone at your place of work, is always out to lunch,

maybe the boss says, "Bring these six boxes

up to the fourth floor of the office building,"

and the person you work with brings them to the third floor.

And they do things like this all the time,

you could describe that person by saying,

"Aah, they are out to lunch."

That person is always out to lunch,

meaning that they're always confused, and do stuff wrong.

Hey, the other phrase, if you are actually out,

having a meal, is out for lunch.

So if someone is gone in the middle of the day,

to have some food at a restaurant,

you would say that, "They are out for lunch,"

especially at a place of work, so often at my work,

there are teachers, who are out for lunch, at lunchtime

where they go to a local restaurant,

and they order some food,

and they eat the food at the restaurant,

and we would say that,

"They are out for lunch," so they're out having a meal.

We wouldn't say that, "They are out to lunch,"

'cause that would simply mean

that they don't know how to do their job well,

and they are always making mistakes.

So hopefully now you know the difference between the two.