rabbit trail

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Rabbits defy predators by running in circles.

Pronunciation

  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

rabbit trail (plural rabbit trails)

  1. (Southern US, Appalachia, Midwestern US, slang) A non-urban area that is challenging to traverse for non-local people.
  2. (Southern US, Appalachia, Midwestern US, slang) A convoluted discourse or tangential aside.
    Near-synonym: rabbit hole
  3. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rabbit,‎ trail.

See also