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