think inside the box

think inside the box

To have a very conventional, traditional, or uncreative way of thinking or coming up with ideas. The company is in dire straits, ladies and gentlemen. We can no longer keep thinking inside the box if we want to survive. I love really imaginative stories, but I just can't help thinking inside the box whenever I try to write one of my own.

See also: box, inside, think

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

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: box, inside, think

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

thinking inside the box

Follow tested paths that have been proven effective. In an article on relationships entitled, “Thinking Inside the Box,” Eliezer Sobel concluded that both relationships and health care benefit from thinking inside the box. “When seeking professional help,” he wrote, “find people inside the box. Especially dentists. Things outside that box can get really scary” (Huffington Post, August 10, 2010). See also outside the box.

See also: box, inside, thinking

The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer