Rabbit hole
Meaning
A rabbit hole is a metaphor for a bizarre, confusing, or complex situation or topic that draws one deeper into it.
Origin
The phrase "rabbit hole" directly springs from Lewis Carroll's whimsical 1865 classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It describes the moment Alice, seeing a white rabbit consult a pocket watch and exclaim "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!", follows it down a seemingly ordinary hole. This precipitous plunge leads her into a fantastical, illogical world where nothing makes sense. The rabbit hole thus became the perfect metaphor for any situation, discussion, or task that, once entered, becomes unexpectedly complex, confusing, and difficult to escape, leading to an entirely different reality than the one anticipated.
Examples
- I started researching vintage cameras online and quickly fell down a rabbit hole of historical photography techniques.
- Be careful when you ask him about conspiracy theories; he'll take you down a rabbit hole of obscure facts and connections.