{"id":10314,"date":"2022-11-02T20:18:52","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:18:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=10314"},"modified":"2022-11-02T20:18:52","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T20:18:52","slug":"rabbit-out-of-a-hat-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/rabbit-out-of-a-hat-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Rabbit out of a Hat \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has someone surprised you by making something you thought to be impossible happen? You could say they just \u201cpulled a rabbit out of a hat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep reading to learn more about this phrase and its origins.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

You can talk about \u201cpulling<\/em> a rabbit out of a hat<\/strong>\u201d or say that something is \u201clike<\/em> a rabbit out of a hat<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

These closely-related expressions describe something that happened \u201clike magic<\/u>.\u201d The events being described are implausible or rather impressive<\/u>, just like pulling a rabbit out of a (previously empty) top hat.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

Use these example sentences to get a better feel for the expression \u201crabbit out of a hat\u201d before you use the phrase yourself:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • \u201cMaggie really managed to pull a rabbit out of the hat<\/strong> when Jane asked her to organize a last-minute surprise birthday party for Tom. It was one of the best parties I\u2019ve ever been to!\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cThe company is set to go bankrupt, and short of pulling a rabbit out of the hat<\/strong>, there\u2019s nothing you can do to stop its decline.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cI\u2019ll do my best, but you can\u2019t expect me to pull a rabbit out of my hat<\/strong>. I\u2019ll have to make do with what I\u2019ve got.\u201d<\/li>\n
  • \u201cMy husband returning from his deployment early was the best gift ever! Jimmy watched his daddy like he was a rabbit pulled from a magician\u2019s hat<\/strong>. It was magical.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Origin<\/h2>\n

    The phrase \u201cto pull a rabbit out of the hat<\/strong>\u201d refers to a popular magic trick in which the magician pulls a white rabbit out of a (previously empty) top hat.<\/p>\n

    This trick is so widespread that it\u2019s the first thing many people think of when they imagine a magic show.<\/p>\n

    Louis Apollinaire Christian Emmanuel Comte, \u201cThe Kings Conjurer<\/strong>,\u201d was probably the first magician to introduce this trick \u2014 in the 1830s<\/strong>. The trick quickly gained traction and remains popular to this day.<\/p>\n

    Although it is unclear when the saying \u201cto pull a rabbit out of a hat\u201d first came into use, the phrase cannot predate the 1830s and is more likely to have emerged in the 1850s or later<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Like the magic trick to which it refers, the idiom \u201cto pull a rabbit out of the hat\u201d is still popular today.<\/p>\n

    Phrases Similar to Rabbit out of a Hat<\/h2>\n

    Other phrases you can use to describe seemingly impossible things that nonetheless happened include:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Like walking on water<\/strong> \u2014 referring to a miracle Jesus performed in the Bible.<\/li>\n
    • Silver bullet<\/strong> \u2014 a \u201cmagical\u201d solution to all your problems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Other idioms that refer to magic include:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • That does the trick<\/strong> \u2014 meaning that works.<\/li>\n
      • To conjure up<\/strong> (a solution).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Phrases Opposite to Rabbit out of a Hat<\/h2>\n

        The phrase \u201cto pull a rabbit out of a hat\u201d invokes images of doing the impossible. Would you like to make it clear that hard work and grit made your success possible, and there was nothing magic about it? You could say:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Through blood, sweat, and tears<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
        • Buckle down <\/strong>\u2014 meaning get ready to work hard.<\/li>\n
        • Go the extra mile<\/strong> \u2014 doing everything you can to achieve results.<\/li>\n
        • Give it 110 percent<\/strong> \u2014 meaning doing more than you ever think you\u2019ll be able to.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          What Is the Correct Saying?<\/h2>\n

          The correct saying is \u201cto pull the rabbit out of the hat<\/strong>.\u201d This expression means doing something that seems impossible, or achieving impressive results.<\/p>\n

          Ways People May Say Rabbit out of a Hat Incorrectly<\/h2>\n

          The image of the magician pulling a white rabbit out of a top hat is so ubiquitous that it is hard to get this expression wrong.<\/p>\n

          Don\u2019t use this expression to talk about things that are truly impossible; in this case, it would be better to use another expression like \u201cas rare as hen\u2019s teeth<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

          Acceptable Ways to Say Rabbit out of a Hat<\/h2>\n

          You can use the expression \u201cto pull a rabbit out of a hat\u201d to describe a seemingly impossible achievement.<\/p>\n

          If you want to make it clear that you can\u2019t<\/em> perform magic, you can also say that you \u201ccan\u2019t pull a rabbit out of a hat<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Has someone surprised you by making something you thought to be impossible happen? You could say they just \u201cpulled a rabbit out of a hat.\u201d Keep reading to learn more about this phrase and its origins. Meaning You can talk about \u201cpulling a rabbit out of a hat\u201d or say that something is \u201clike a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10314"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10314"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10316,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10314\/revisions\/10316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}