For composition reasons and how it sound I would like to create a design called “creativity out of the box” but Im not sure if is correct or should be “outside”. Which one is correct?
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Do you consider the more common one to be 'correct'? It might help to google both versions of your phrase to see which is standard.– HeartspringCommented Sep 29, 2023 at 0:03
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"out" is usually used for motion, as in "go out of the house". "outside" is usually used for position, as in "he is outside the house".– BarmarCommented Sep 29, 2023 at 0:07
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What do you mean by "correct," exactly? Are you asking how people would understand it?– alphabetCommented Sep 29, 2023 at 0:21
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1 Answer
“Out of the box” and “outside [of] the box” have sharply different meanings in typical, generally informal, use.
The first means ready for use without alteration, customization, or assembly, whereas the second implies creativity and is often used in the phrase “thinking outside the box.” In both, what’s in the box is more or less standard, expected, typical.
See this blog
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Even in AmE, think out of the box is still slightly more common than think outside of the box, and that's even more true of BrE. There are some usage differences (things work straight out of the box, never outside of the box). But thinking isn't one. Commented Sep 29, 2023 at 10:57
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@FumbleFingers Note that "think outside the box," without the "of," is much more common than either of those.– alphabetCommented Sep 29, 2023 at 20:58
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@alphabet: Yeah - I suppose -side acts a bit like a "built-in preposition" (cf beside). So it's much more natural as a "prepositionless" usage: I waited outside the door is fine, but I waited out the door isn't. Commented Sep 29, 2023 at 21:04