Vocabulary Story - Falling down the rabbit hole

And now, welcome to Words and Their Stories, a program that explores words and expressions in the English language. On this program, we give examples and notes on usage.

Now, welcome to Vocabulary, a show that explores English vocabulary and expressions. In this show, we will give examples and notes on usage.

And when available, we sometimes explain where they come from. On today's program, we are going to talk about rabbits.

If possible, we sometimes explain their origins. In today's show, we're going to talk about rabbits.

Rabbits, like many other animals, dig holes and complex underground passages, like tunnels, to build their homes. So, when rabbits want to go home, they must go down the rabbit hole.

Rabbits, like many other animals, dig holes and dig complex underground passages, such as tunnels, to build their homes. So, when rabbits want to go home, they have to go down rabbit holes.

And that may lead to other holes, tunnels, and paths, or even other rabbit homes. In English, we use the expression down the rabbit hole when we get so caught up in the search for something

This may lead to other holes, tunnels, paths, and even other rabbit homes. In English, when we focus too much on finding something and get a very different result,

– like an answer to a problem – that we end up somewhere totally different. The Internet is an easy way to get lost down the rabbit hole.

We can use the expression down the rabbit hole. Like looking for an answer to a question. The internet can easily get lost in the rabbit hole.

For this Words and Their Stories, my search for "down the rabbit hole" returned the video game "Down the Rabbit Hole". The animation was so beautiful!

In this episode of The Word, I searched the web for "down the rabbit hole" and the result was the video game "down the rabbit hole." The animation is so beautiful!

I had to find out more about who drew the images for the game. A few more clicks led me to a website about learning how to draw children's books.

I had to find out who drew the image for the game. With a few more clicks, I jumped to a website that learned how to draw children's books.

Let's talk about children's books. Do you know there is a famous book festival in the Italian city of Bologna?

Let's talk about children's books. Did you know that the Italian city of Bologna has a famous book festival?

After an hour and many more clicks, I found myself watching a YouTube video on how to make the meat sauce Bolognese.

After an hour of click-through, I found myself watching a video on YouTube about how to make noodles with meat sauce.

In other words, I had fallen down a rabbit hole and wasted an hour. But, at least, I got an idea for dinner!

In other words, I fell down a rabbit hole and wasted an hour. But, at the very least, what to eat for dinner, I had an idea!

Here are some notes on usage. We often describe what kind of rabbit hole we get lost in.

Here are some considerations for use. We often describe what kind of rabbit hole we are lost in.

For example, if you get completely overtaken by your research on climate change, you could say you "went down an environmental rabbit hole".

For example, if you're completely overwhelmed by your research on climate change, you could say you've "fallen down the rabbit hole of the environment."

There are many verbs that you can use along with "rabbit hole". You can get lost, fall down or get stuck in a rabbit hole.

There are a lot of verbs that can be used with "rabbit hole". You may get lost, fall, or get stuck in a rabbit hole.

But where did this come from? Well, the expression comes from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

But where did this phrase come from? This expression comes from Alice in Wonderland, written by Lewis Carroll in 1865.

Alice, the girl in the story, begins her adventure by falling and falling and falling down a very long rabbit hole. She falls slowly and sees things on the way down – strange things.

Alice, the girl in the story, accidentally fell into a long rabbit hole and began her adventure. She fell slowly, seeing something strange along the way.

And when she arrives at the bottom things only get stranger. And that is another way we use this expression.

When she reached the bottom, things got even stranger. This is another way we use this expression.

It can describe a completely strange situation or an all-consuming situation. By all-consuming, I mean a situation where you lose touch with reality.

It can describe a situation that is completely unfamiliar or a situation in which you are fully engaged. By "all-consuming" I mean a situation where you are out of touch with reality.

You lose yourself a bit. For example, once on a trip to Coney Island, New York, I got lost and ended up in a very strange place.

You're a little lost in yourself. For example, on a trip to Coney Island in New York, I got lost and ended up in a very strange place.

There was a play going on and everyone was dressed up. A band was playing strange music and the lights were all different colors.

There happens to be a game there, and everyone is dressed up. A band is playing strange music, and colorful lights flicker on and off with the music.

I had definitely fallen into a rabbit hole! But this time it was Anna's Adventures in Wonderland!

I must have fallen down a rabbit hole! But this time it's Anna's Wonderland!

And that's all the adventure we have for you today. Until next time… I'm Anna Matteo!

That's all we've got for you today. We'll see you next time... I'm Anna Mateo!