Going down the rabbit hole
Meaning
To delve deeply and obsessively into a complex or unfamiliar subject, often leading to a long and convoluted series of discoveries or distractions.
Origin
Imagine following a frantic White Rabbit, waistcoat and pocket watch in hand, straight into its burrow. That's precisely what Alice does in Lewis Carroll's enchanting 1865 novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." Her impulsive leap into that dark, vertical tunnel isn't just a physical descent; it's the gateway to a topsy-turvy world of logic-defying creatures and endless, mind-bending situations. This iconic journey from the mundane to the bizarre quickly became a vivid metaphor for any deep dive into a complex, often bewildering, subject or situation, where one discovery just leads to another, pulling you deeper and deeper.
Examples
- I started researching antique typewriters and before I knew it, I had gone down the rabbit hole, spending hours learning about their history and mechanics.
- Be careful when you start reading about conspiracy theories online; it's easy to go down the rabbit hole and lose perspective.