1. Home
2. Idioms
3. pull a rabbit out of hat

pull a rabbit out of hat

---

---

pull a rabbit out of your hat

also pull a rabbit out of a hat

to do something surprising You didn't know how the story would end and then the author pulled a rabbit out of her hat, and it all made sense.

Usage notes: sometimes used to describe a surprising solution to a problem: The governor pulled a rabbit out of a hat by putting together a budget without increasing taxes.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of pull a rabbit out of a hat, which is often done as a magic trick

See also: hat, of, out, pull, rabbit