conspicuous by (one's) absence

conspicuous by (one's) absence

Noticeably missing from something. You're the loudest one in the class, so of course you're conspicuous by your absence!See also: absence, by, conspicuous

*conspicuous by one's absence

Cliché noticeably absent (from an event). (*Typically: be ~; made ~.) How could the bride's father miss the wedding? He was certainly conspicuous by his absence.See also: absence, by, conspicuous

conspicuous by its absence

Also, conspicuous by one's absence. Glaringly obvious by the fact of not being there. For example, One agenda item concerning publicity is conspicuous by its absence, or The bride's father was conspicuous by his absence. The idea is ancient; it was expressed by the Roman writer Tacitus, concerning the absence of Junia's brother and husband at her funeral procession. [Mid-1800s] See also: absence, by, conspicuous

conspicuous by your/its absence

If someone or something is conspicuous by their absence, people notice that they are not there. He played no part in the game and was conspicuous by his absence at the post-match celebrations. Mathematics and science were conspicuous by their absence at the university.See also: absence, by, conspicuous

conspicuous by your absence

obviously not present in a place where you should be. This phrase was coined by Lord John Russell in a speech made in 1859 . He acknowledged as his source for the idea a passage in Tacitus describing a procession of images at a funeral: the fact that those of Cassius and Brutus were absent attracted a great deal of attention.See also: absence, by, conspicuous

conˌspicuous by your ˈabsence

not present in a situation or place, when it is obvious that you should be there: When it came to cleaning up afterwards, Anne was conspicuous by her absence.See also: absence, by, conspicuous

conspicuous by its absence

Very obvious through nonattendance. This oxymoron, which goes back to ancient Rome, applies to people or objects that attracted attention because they were expected to be present but weren't. An example would be a close relative who either wasn't invited or chose not to attend a family function. Some literary commentators contend that the phrase has become a cliché, but it's now used so rarely, you may—although at your peril—claim its wit to be your own.See also: absence, by, conspicuous