rabbit hole

[ rab-it hohl ]

/ ˈræb ɪt ˌhoʊl /

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noun

a tunnel made in the ground by a rabbit; a rabbit burrow.

Informal. a strange, disorienting, or frustrating situation or experience, typically one that is difficult to navigate: I had a history of depression and occasionally fell down dark, deep rabbit holes from which only medication and therapy could pull me out.I have been down the rabbit hole of building a new home.

Informal. a time-consuming distraction of one's attention as happens when clicking through online links, following social media posts, or pursuing information: After diving down an internet rabbit hole and poring over treatments, risks, and so on, she felt even more panicked.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of rabbit hole

First recorded in 1660–70; def. 2 was first recorded in 1935–40, from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Words nearby rabbit hole

rabbit eye, rabbit fever, rabbitfish, rabbit food, rabbit-foot clover, rabbit hole, rabbiting, rabbit-killer, rabbitoh, rabbit-proof fence, rabbit punch

How to use rabbit hole in a sentence

With Big Eyes a lot of people, myself included, were glad to see you emerge from the rabbit hole that is the CG world.
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He was saying this could be a rabbit hole,” one House member told The Daily Beast.
New Benghazi Investigation Spooks GOP Leaders|Eli Lake|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And that is this sleazy rabbit hole in its most perfect summation.
The B Is Back: The Benghazi Hearings Are Bullsh*t|Michael Tomasky|May 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you ever go down that rabbit hole and start to read too many comments about you, it does make you very defensive.
Jon Favreau On the Food Porn-y ‘Chef,’ ‘The Jungle Book,’ and Why He Left the ‘Iron Man’ Franchise|Marlow Stern|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Despite a spiraling rabbit hole of media quibbling about what Huckabee supposedly said, the basic gist of his remarks were clear.
The GOP’s Latest Ploy: Flatter Married Women|Amanda Marcotte|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hugh Morgan, stop poking your foot into that rabbit-hole or you fall down it and we have to dig you out.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions
“I suppose it was thinking so much about that rabbit-hole of a place up at the Hall,” he muttered.
Crown and Sceptre|George Manville Fenn
I found no opening in the face of the rock, except one—apparently a rabbit hole—near a rent in the boulder.
Creatures of the Night|Alfred W. Rees
One morning during the siege, Bose happened to find a rabbit-hole.
The Children of the Valley|Harriet Prescott Spofford
But if you held a looking-glass up to it you would find that it is "Down the Rabbit Hole" written backward!
Greenwich Village|Anna Alice Chapin