go down the rabbit hole

go down the rabbit hole

To enter into a situation or begin a process or journey that is particularly strange, problematic, difficult, complex, or chaotic, especially one that becomes increasingly so as it develops or unfolds. (An allusion to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.) Owning your own business is a huge responsibility that not everyone is prepared for. Are you sure you're ready to go down the rabbit hole? I've stayed away from drugs and alcohol since coming to college. I have an addictive personality, so I decided to just avoid going down that rabbit hole altogether. Overhauling the current tax legislation is a rabbit hole I don't think this administration should go down at this point.
See also: down, go, hole, rabbit
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • rabbit hole
  • tough row to hoe
  • a long row to hoe
  • a tough row to hoe
  • hoe
  • a hard row to hoe
  • pull the carpet (out) from under (one's) feet
  • pull the carpet/rug out from under somebody's feet
  • land up in (something)
  • be in a cleft stick
References in periodicals archive
Step into Alice In Wonderland's world Go down the rabbit hole this New Year's Eve as Swansea's Meatery and Martini Co goes Alice in Wonderland crazy.
Go down the rabbit hole but make sure that you and the kids are in your best hats and costumes.
In the words of Alice in Wonderland, 'Would you like an adventure now or shall we have our tea first?' Go down the rabbit hole with Alice and Elizabeth as you partake of some English afternoon tea.
He said: "Most people in the party want us to get on with the job and do not want us to go down the rabbit hole of some contest." Labour TD Willie Penrose defended Mr Howlin, adding: "I was disappointed by Alan Kelly's interview this morning on Tipp FM.
Similar to what happens in video games, the Blue Whale has a set of challenges that encourages players to "go down the rabbit hole" in return for fake milestones and accomplishments, said Dr.
Even though the couple's lives already started with an obstacle and both are aware that the current circumstances may lead to an unpromising future, Sarah and Ibrahim are willing and ready to go down the rabbit hole. "Sooner or later, things will turn out just fine," Sarah said.
When the trio comes across a magical potion that will make them pretty--drop-dead, supermodel level pretty--they go down the rabbit hole and try it.
The nature of the flicker tends to entice the crew to go down the rabbit hole of troubleshooting, to see what conditions, if any, cause the light to come on, even though there's nothing to remedy the situation in the air besides shutting down the engine.
Alice in Wonderland | Go down the rabbit hole |with Alice at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff as she goes on a madcap adventure tomorrow.
And then he told me the story of The Book Of Life, and I thought, 'This is punk rock and cool and I'd love to go down the rabbit hole'."
Are we really just gonna go down the rabbit hole, selling our souls to the highest bidder, tying in with anybody who'll pay?
Wolff admitted at the end of the same entry that it's been a busy few weeks; he anticipated being busy for the foreseeable future ("If I go down the rabbit hole for a stretch, hope you'll understand," he wrote).
'It's like a rabbit hole from 'Alice in Wonderland' where you go down the rabbit hole. But since it's the Dessert Museum, to enter this world you'd have to go down the doughnut hole,' he says.