that's the bunny
- idiom
- UK
:
ese es el punto clave
- If you want to solve the problem, look for the root cause—that's the bunny.
Examples
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When discussing the project, remember that that's the bunny we need to focus on.
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In this debate, that's the bunny everyone is avoiding.
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After hours of discussion, she finally realized that's the bunny everyone was avoiding.
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Listen to his last statement; that's the bunny in this whole debate.
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After debating various solutions, she finally pointed out, that's the bunny we need to address first.
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In every argument, that's the bunny that determines the outcome of the discussion.
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During the meeting, everyone agreed that that's the bunny we should prioritize moving forward.
Synonyms
43
3.1
A main idea in a talk or report
30
3.7
The main person, thing, or idea that gets most attention
13
3.9
The most important part of a problem or discussion
4
5.6
The most important part of a problem or discussion
Antonyms
How Central
Surface Forms
Morphology
that's + the + bunny
A B1 learner who knows 'that's' ('that is'), 'the', and 'bunny' (a small rabbit) would not be able to infer the figurative meaning 'the key point' from those literal constituents. The usage is idiomatic/colloquial and not compositionally predictable or cross-linguistically regular, so the overall meaning is opaque to learners.
Etymology
That's the bunny may come from old magic shows. One popular story says a rabbit is the big surprise a magician pulls from a hat, so saying that's the bunny points to the single 'key point' or 'main issue' in a talk.