outside the box
Beyond the bounds of convention or normal practiceBeyond the bounds of convention or normal practice.
» Let's think outside of the box.
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
1 senses(idiomatic)Beyond the bounds of convention or normal practice.
The boss wants some new ideas—it's time to think outside the box.
um die Ecke denken, quer denken
нестанда́ртноnestandártno
Examples
23 sentencesLet's think outside of the box.
Tom certainly has trouble thinking outside the box.
ruТому явно тяжело мыслить нестандартно. — odexed
You have to think outside of the box.
deDu mußt über den Tellerrand hinausblicken. — Waldelfe
The outside of this box is green, but the inside is red.
ruСнаружи ящик зелёный, а внутри - красный. — marafon
Let's think outside the box.
ruДавайте мыслить нестандартно. — odexed
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
Unclear. Attested since 1971 (see quotations) with allusion to the nine dots puzzle, whereUnclear. Attested since 1971 (see quotations) with allusion to the nine dots puzzle, where one needs to draw lines outside the perimeter of its nine dots. Earlier related phrases include go outside the dots (1956), step outside the box (1969), and think outside the dots (1970).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source