box someone or something in to trap or confine someone or something. He boxed her in so she could not get away from him. They tried to box in the animals, but they needed more space. Dont try to box me in. box someone in Fig. to put someone into a bind; to reduce the number of someones alternatives. I dont want to box you in, but you are running out of options. I want to box in the whole staff, so theyll have to do it my way. box someone up to confine someone in a small area. Please dont box me up in that little office. The boss boxed up Fred in a tiny office. Why the president boxes himself up in such a little office is beyond me. See also: up box something up to place something in a box. Please box the books up and put them into the trunk of the car. Please box up four of these for me. See also: up boxed (up) 1. Sl. intoxicated. I am way boxed, and I feel sick. She got boxed up on gin. 2. Sl. in jail. I committed the crime, and I was boxed for a long time for it. Pat was boxed up for two days till we got bond money. boxed in Fig. in a bind; having few alternatives. I really feel boxed in around here. I got him boxed in. Hell have to do it our way. boxed on the table Sl. died on the (operating) table. (Medical.) The surgeon did the best job possible, but the patient boxed on the table. Another patient boxed on the table. Thats three this month. See also: table go home in a box Sl. to be shipped home dead. (Often said in exaggeration.) Hey, Im too young to go home in a box. You had better be careful on this camping trip, or youll go home in a box. See also: home open Pandoras box Fig. to uncover a lot of unsuspected problems. When I asked Jane about her problems, I didnt know I had opened Pandoras box. You should be cautious with people who are upset. You dont want to open Pandoras box. See also: open stuff the ballot box to fill a ballot box with illegal votes or with more votes than the number of actual voters. The politician was charged with stuffing the ballot box. The ballot box was stuffed with lots of votes for the crooked politician. See also: stuff 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 wont 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. See also: inside, think 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 wont come up with good ideas until you think outside the box. Lets think outside the box for a minute and try to find a better solution. See also: outside, think McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- a brain box (British & Australian informal) a very intelligent person Come on brain box, whats the answer? See also: brain box somebodys ears (old-fashioned) to hit someone, usually as a punishment Ill box your ears, young man, if you come home late again! See think outside the box See also: ear box clever (British) to behave in a clever and sometimes slightly dishonest way to try to achieve a result you want Usage notes: A good boxer (= man who fights as a sport) is a person who uses skill as well as strength to win fights. Obviously he would have to box clever in the witness stand to avoid implicating himself. See also: clever chocolate box a chocolate box place or thing is very attractive in a way that does not seem real (always before noun) We drove through a series of chocolate box villages on our way down to Brighton. open a Pandoras box to do something that causes a lot of new problems that you did not expect Usage notes: In old Greek stories, Zeus (= the king of the gods) gave Pandora a box that he told her not to open, but she did open it and all the troubles in the world escaped from it. (often + of ) Sadly, his reforms opened a Pandoras box of domestic problems. See also: open the goggle-box (British & Australian old-fashioned) the television There are plenty of good shows on the goggle box at the moment. think outside the box to think imaginatively using new ideas instead of traditional or expected ideas We try to encourage our researchers to think outside the box. See also: outside, think Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2nd ed. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006. Reproduced with permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- open (a) Pandoras box to start something that causes many new and unexpected problems They worry that any decision they make about testing will open a Pandoras box. What kind of Pandoras box do we open if we decide not arrest people who have committed a crime? Etymology: based on an old Greek story in which a woman named Pandora opened a box containing all the troubles the world has experienced See also: open think outside the box also think out of the box to develop ideas that are different and unusual We need to think outside the box if we are going to come up with something really new. These guys are incredibly creative - they really know how to think out of the box. Usage notes: sometimes used with verbs other than think: You need to look outside the box and see what you can come up with. Etymology: based on the idea that limiting your thoughts is like thinking inside a box which can contain only a certain number of ideas See also: outside, think Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2003. Reproduced with permission. Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit the webmasters page for free fun content. Link to this page: Please bookmark with social media, your votes are noticed and appreciated: Advertisement (Bad banner? Please let us know) ?Page tools Printer friendly Cite / link Feedback Advertisement (Bad banner? Please let us know) ?My Word List Add current page to the list Advertisement (Bad banner? Please let us know) ?Charity Feed a hungry child - donate to school feeding program
Posted on: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 05:26:59 +0000
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