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Glite Dictionary
to go in the out door

to go in the out door

9.3
To do the opposite of what others expect or tell you
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer lo contrario
  • Trying to go in the out door will just create confusion and frustration for everyone involved.

Examples

  • If you always go in the out door, don't be surprised if things don't go smoothly.

  • Students who often go in the out door rarely follow directions, leading to chaos.

  • He tends to go in the out door when faced with rules he doesn't like.

  • Don't go in the out door!

  • Why would you go in the out door?

  • He tends to go in the out door whenever a simple solution is presented.

  • If you choose to go in the out door during the meeting, you might confuse your colleagues.

Antonyms

to follow
∞ 1.0

To act according to rules, advice, or beliefs

How Illogical

to go in the out door
  • Informal
9.3

Surface Forms

go in the out door infinitive
went in the out door past
gone in the out door past participle
going in the out door present participle
goes in the out door third person singular

Morphology

go + in + the + out + door

The phrase’s meaning can be directly inferred from its parts: ‘go’ + ‘in’ contrasted with ‘out’ + ‘door’ yields the literal image of entering through an exit, a clear paradox that signals acting contrary to expectation. This meaning arises compositionally from the constituent words rather than an unpredictable idiomatic shift, so a B1 learner who knows the words should understand it.

Etymology

Go in the out door comes from the simple image of a building with two doors, one marked in and one marked out. If you go in the out door you do the opposite of what people expect, so the phrase means to 'act against advice' or do something 'not sensible'.