Think Outside the Box
thingk owt-SYD thuh boksphrase
What it means
An instruction to be original, delivered in the same six words to every employee since 1994 and never accompanied by permission to break a rule.
What it actually means
Be creative. Change nothing. Embarrass no one.
How it is used in a sentence
"I need everyone thinking outside the box on this one."
Filed under
Business Bafflegab — Language engineered so that nothing is ever anyone’s fault and no decision is ever final.
Bafflegab — The phrase means nothing. We are ridiculing it.
Related entries
Ideate
Business BafflegabEYE-dee-aytverbBafflegab
To have a thought while being paid, and to describe it in a way that guarantees no one enjoys it.
Real meaningBrainstorm, but worse.
Best Practice
Business Bafflegabbest PRAK-tisnounBafflegab
Whatever the largest competitor did, adopted without evidence and defended thereafter as though it were gravity.
Real meaningSomebody's guess, now policy.