outside the box

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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).

20 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Chinese Mandarin: 跳出框架 — beyond convention
• Finnish: uudella tavalla — beyond convention
• Finnish: ennakkoluulottomasti — beyond convention
• Finnish: luovasti — beyond convention
• French: hors des sentiers battus — beyond convention
• French: en dehors des clous — beyond convention
• French: en dehors de la boite — beyond convention
• German: um die Ecke denken — beyond convention
• German: quer denken — beyond convention
• Italian: fuori dagli schemi — beyond convention
• Japanese: 箱の外 (hako no soto) — beyond convention
• Polish: nieszablonowo — beyond convention
• Portuguese: fora da caixa — beyond convention
• Portuguese: fora da caixinha — beyond convention
• Romanian: gândi în afara cutiei — beyond convention
• Russian: нестанда́ртно (nestandártno) — beyond convention
• Swedish: utanför ramarna — beyond convention
• Swedish: utanför sin box — beyond convention
• Swedish: utanför boxen — beyond convention
• Thai: นอกกรอบ — beyond convention