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general::
Phrase(s): 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.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs