long gone

long gone

1. Far away, having departed a relatively long time ago. The criminals are long gone by now. We just have to hope we can find a witness.
2. Totally depleted, having been consumed or used up a relatively long time ago. The food was long gone by the time I made it to the barbecue.
See also: gone, long
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

long gone

gone a long time ago; used up a long time ago. The ice cream and cake are long gone. You are simply too late for the refreshments.
See also: gone, long
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • for (so) long
  • for long
  • time out of mind
  • long since
  • long ago
  • on the flip side
  • enjoy a long run
  • will go a long way
  • over the long term
  • so long
References in classic literature
Rouncewell, but I am weak--and he has been so long gone."
I cannot recall I just don't know I do remember bits of this and that But are they true and are they fact Thoughts of my mother I try to recall But my memory back then was so very small My failure at school has had a lifelong effect My headmaster told me I was a total reject As a young man I loved beer women and wine Married with children we were getting on fine The memories remain but the marriage is long gone The time had come to move on Sadly good and bad memoires last a life time The good ones we store like a bottle of fine wine GEORGE MCLANDERS
The phrase 'the customer is always right' is long gone. Yes, it is our duty to satisfy the needs of the customer but sometimes their demands are just not reasonable.
Those days are long gone and in its place we are left with complex algorithms that predetermine our every move.
A quick glance at the picture of the updated scene shows that the building is now long gone.
NPA Sparrow Unit long gone Albayalde !-- -- Romina Cabrera (The Philippine Star) - December 2, 2018 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines In the face of President Duterte's wish to form a death squad to go after Sparrow units of communist rebels, the head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) said the infamous hit squad is "long gone." PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said they have not monitored incidents involving these sparrow units of the New People's Army (NPA) for the past three years.
They worked and slept aboard the ship the Vindicatrix - the 'Vindi' has long gone, but memories will forever.
A glossy pictorial that traverses the length and breadth of the country and explores architectural wonders from both times long gone to more recent years.
By Shaima Al-Ruwaished KUWAIT, April 27 (KUNA) -- Some areas around the world might be long gone or have completely shifted their landscapes, but the memories of these places remain in the hearts and minds of people who lived in them.
Had Henry David Thoreau been a baseball fan, his signature quotation might read, "The mass of minor leaguers lead lives of quiet desperation." Such is the wont of the Tampico Stogies in the 1987 HBO TV movie Long Gone. "Now the Tampico Nine always has been and always will be an aggregation that knows it's about to suffer another ignominious defeat," declares Cletis Ramey to Cecil "Stud" Cantrell, the Stogies' player-manager.
Martin Booth has provided another old photograph of another long gone pub, The Grove Inn.
Richly nostalgic Stephen King story, a haunting snapshot of a summer long gone. (Cert 15, 1986) ....
Long gone are the days when Halloween meant carving out a turnip for a lantern, telling corny joke for pennies or sweets but best of all, dookin for apples.
A child's-eye view of days long gone, "Up on a Hill and Thereabouts" describes a time and place of poverty and hardship tempered by compassion, hope, and humor.
Everton's squad will need to be convinced by the new man, and unfortunately long gone are the days when players turned up and listened to their coach or manager and followed every word.