- NEW!
by singwell-is off researching a lot on March 8th, 2007
The first appearance of the phrase is obscure. However, both Martin Kihn of Fast Company[1] and the Random House Word Mavens[2] concur that the phrase relates to a traditional topographical puzzle called the nine dots puzzle.
According to Kihn, consultants of the 1970s and 1980s tried to make their prospective clients feel inadequate by presenting them with the puzzle. The challenge is to connect the dots by drawing four straight, continuous lines, and never lifting the pencil from the paper. The puzzle is easily solved, but only if you draw the lines outside of the confines of the square area defined by the nine dots themselves. Thus, the phrase "thinking outside the box" was born. The Word Mavens refer to Prof. Daniel Kies of the College of DuPage, who observes that the puzzle is only difficult because "we imagine a boundary around the edge of the dot array."
(wikipedia)
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by Answerbag Staff on April 15th, 2010
| 1 person likes this
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by -O-uknow on December 31st, 2010
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bored. what should do?
by da truth on January 8th, 2011
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by r i p facebook on December 10th, 2010
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You're reading Does anybody know (or want to guess) where the phrase "think outside of the box" came from? have you ever heard of anybody thinking inside the box?
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Comments
neat!
by zee-ster on March 8th, 2007