Go down a rabbit hole
Meaning
To become deeply engrossed in a complex or time-consuming topic or activity, often to the exclusion of other things.
Origin
The phrase directly springs from Lewis Carroll's classic 1865 novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." The story begins with young Alice spotting a white rabbit in a waistcoat, consulting a pocket watch, and exclaiming, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" Her curiosity piqued, Alice follows the hurried rabbit into a large rabbit hole, tumbling down a surprisingly long and peculiar shaft that leads her to a fantastical world. This literal descent into the unknown, prompted by a seemingly innocuous event, perfectly encapsulates the modern idiom of embarking on an unexpected, often lengthy, and highly engaging exploration of a topic.
Examples
- I started researching ancient Egypt for fun and ended up going down a rabbit hole for hours, learning about hieroglyphs and pharaohs.
- She went down a rabbit hole on social media, clicking from one fascinating video to another until it was past midnight.