absence of, in the; conspicuous by its (his, her, their) absence. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993

Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.

absence of, in the; conspicuous by its (his, her, their) absence


In the absence of is padded prose. Conspicuous by its [his, her, their, etc.] absence is a cliché, also well padded.	1