box (redirected from Out of box)

box someone or something in

to trap or confine someone or something. He boxed her in so she could not get away from him. They tried to box in the animals, but they needed more space. Don't try to box me in.

box someone in

Fig. to put someone into a bind; to reduce the number of someone's alternatives. I don't want to box you in, but you are running out of options. I want to box in the whole staff, so they'll have to do it my way.

box someone up

to confine someone in a small area. Please don't box me up in that little office. The boss boxed up Fred in a tiny office. Why the president boxes himself up in such a little office is beyond me.

See also: up

box something up

to place something in a box. Please box the books up and put them into the trunk of the car. Please box up four of these for me.

See also: up

boxed (up) 

1. Sl. intoxicated. I am way boxed, and I feel sick. She got boxed up on gin.

2. Sl. in jail. I committed the crime, and I was boxed for a long time for it. Pat was boxed up for two days till we got bond money.

boxed in

Fig. in a bind; having few alternatives. I really feel boxed in around here. I got him boxed in. He'll have to do it our way.

boxed on the table

Sl. died on the (operating) table. (Medical.) The surgeon did the best job possible, but the patient boxed on the table. Another patient boxed on the table. That's three this month.

See also: table

go home in a box

Sl. to be shipped home dead. (Often said in exaggeration.) Hey, I'm too young to go home in a box. You had better be careful on this camping trip, or you'll go home in a box.

See also: home

open Pandora's box

Fig. to uncover a lot of unsuspected problems. When I asked Jane about her problems, I didn't know I had opened Pandora's box. You should be cautious with people who are upset. You don't want to open Pandora's box.

See also: open

stuff the ballot box

to fill a ballot box with illegal votes or with more votes than the number of actual voters. The politician was charged with stuffing the ballot box. The ballot box was stuffed with lots of votes for the crooked politician.

See also: stuff

think inside the box

Fig. to think in traditional fashion, bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices. (As if thinking or creativity were confined or limited by a figurative box. Compare this with think outside the box.) You won't come up with good ideas if you think only inside the box. You guys only think inside the box and will never find a better solution.

See also: inside, think

think outside the box

Fig. to think freely, not bound by old, nonfunctional, or limiting structures, rules, or practices. (As if thinking or creativity were confined in or limited by a figurative box. Compare this with think inside the box.) You won't come up with good ideas until you think outside the box. Let's think outside the box for a minute and try to find a better solution.

See also: outside, think

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a brain box  (British & Australian informal)

a very intelligent person Come on brain box, what's the answer?

See also: brain

box somebody's ears  (old-fashioned)

to hit someone, usually as a punishment I'll box your ears, young man, if you come home late again!

See think outside the box

See also: ear

box clever  (British)

to behave in a clever and sometimes slightly dishonest way to try to achieve a result you want

Usage notes: A good boxer (= man who fights as a sport) is a person who uses skill as well as strength to win fights.

Obviously he would have to box clever in the witness stand to avoid implicating himself.

See also: clever

chocolate box

a chocolate box place or thing is very attractive in a way that does not seem real (always before noun) We drove through a series of chocolate box villages on our way down to Brighton.

open a Pandora's box

to do something that causes a lot of new problems that you did not expect

Usage notes: In old Greek stories, Zeus (= the king of the gods) gave Pandora a box that he told her not to open, but she did open it and all the troubles in the world escaped from it.

(often + of ) Sadly, his reforms opened a Pandora's box of domestic problems.

See also: open

the goggle-box  (British & Australian old-fashioned)

the television There are plenty of good shows on the goggle box at the moment.

think outside the box

to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas We try to encourage our researchers to think outside the box.

See also: outside, think

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open (a) Pandora's box

to start something that causes many new and unexpected problems They worry that any decision they make about testing will open a Pandora's box. What kind of Pandora's box do we open if we decide not arrest people who have committed a crime?

Etymology: based on an old Greek story in which a woman named Pandora opened a box containing all the troubles the world has experienced

See also: open

think outside the box also think out of the box

to develop ideas that are different and unusual We need to think outside the box if we are going to come up with something really new. These guys are incredibly creative - they really know how to think out of the box.

Usage notes: sometimes used with verbs other than think: You need to look outside the box and see what you can come up with.

Etymology: based on the idea that limiting your thoughts is like thinking inside a box which can contain only a certain number of ideas

See also: outside, think