English Explanatory Dictionary

outside the box

English dictionary entry

Meanings

prep_phrase
  1. Beyond the bounds of convention or normal practice.

Pronunciation

En-au-outside the box.ogg

Word forms

outside the box

Etymology

Unclear. 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).

Synonyms

laterally out of the box outside of the box

Related words

blue-sky thinking heterodox lateral thinking nonorthogonal reinvent the wheel
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