rabbit hole
1
3.4
- noun
- /ˈræbɪt hoʊl/
:
madriguera
- Kiko stuck his furry brown head out of his rabbit hole and looked at the world.
When Alice goes down the rabbit hole, that's the underworld, right?
- When Alice goes down the rabbit hole, that's the underworld, right?
Examples
-
His interest was finally sparked by the badger at the rabbit hole.
Fiction book (2001) -
"Mama, Mama!" he called, scampering back down the rabbit hole.
Fiction book (1997) -
He went down a rabbit hole.
-
The animal, runty and of no clear breed, dug at a rabbit hole.
Fiction book (1994) -
Kiko stuck his furry brown head out of his rabbit hole and looked at the world.
-
The animal, runty and of no clear breed, dug at a rabbit hole in search of food.
-
After a long day of exploring, the rabbit returned to its rabbit hole for safety.
Synonyms
25
2.7
A hole or tunnel dug in the ground by an animal for shelter
A hole or tunnel in the ground where small wild animals live
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
rabbit + hole
A B1 learner who knows 'rabbit' and 'hole' would most likely infer a literal hole associated with a rabbit and not automatically derive the figurative sense of an absorbing, time-consuming sequence. The figurative meaning is motivated by a cultural/metaphorical reference (Alice in Wonderland) and the idea of 'falling into' a deep hole, so the connection is partially inferable but requires prior exposure to the metaphorical usage.
Etymology
Rabbit hole is a real hole in the ground that wild rabbits use as a home or burrow, so it means 'a hole where rabbits live or hide'.