run out of
rʌn aʊt əv
Milk, time and patience all hit the same empty bottom
The picture What was inside the container drains out until the bare bottom is showing. Fill up pours something in until the container is full; run out of empties it until the bottom shows.
Where the picture shows up in run out of
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the bottom of the milk shows
We've run out of milk again.
wiv rʌn aʊt əv mɪlk əˈɡen
We're out of milk again.
You tip the carton and only a few last drops fall out.
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the bottom of the wallet shows
I ran out of cash at the market.
aɪ ræn aʊt əv kæʃ ət ðə ˈmɑːrkɪt
I had no cash left at the market.
You hold the wallet open and shake it, and only the lining shows.
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the bottom of the time shows
We're running out of time.
wɪr ˈrʌnɪŋ aʊt əv taɪm
We haven't got much time left.
Barely any sand is left in the upper half of the hourglass.
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the bottom of the paper tray shows
The printer has run out of paper.
ðə ˈprɪntər hæz rʌn aʊt əv ˈpeɪpər
The printer is out of paper.
The paper tray slides open on an empty floor.
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the bottom of your patience shows
He ran out of patience with them.
hi ræn aʊt əv ˈpeɪʃəns wɪð ðem
He finally lost patience with them.
The tank that held your patience drips its final drop and stands empty.
It isn't only supplies that empty out; what you hold in your heart drains the same way.
All of it in one picture
Run out of is one picture: what was inside drains away until the bare bottom shows. When the bottom is the milk carton you go shopping; when it is your wallet you can't pay; when it is the paper tray the printing stops. Time sits in the same container — barely any sand left means barely any time left. Even patience is kept in a tank, and when its bottom shows, a person snaps.