think wheel

When Phalan means to type third wheel but actually types think wheel

My friend Lauren is coming with her ex so I didn’t want to think wheel. It might get awk

Four-wheeled thinking

Limiting yourself to what you know. The opposite of "thinking outside the box".
Originating from transportation, automatically thinking you need to use a car to get to your destination; where instead you could use a motorbike, train, tram, bus, scooter, or any number of vehicles that have less or more than four wheels.

Janet didn't come up with any ideas, she's holding herself back with her four-wheeled thinking.
Sure you could do it that way, but that's some four-wheeled thinking right there.