pull a rabbit out of a hat

verb

To do something surprising and beneficial that is unexpected.

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Meanings

verbpull a rabbit out of a hat (third-person singular simple present pulls a rabbit out of a hat, present participle pulling a rabbit out of a hat, simple past and past participle pulled a rabbit out of a hat)

present singular third person pulls a rabbit out of a hat · participle present pulling a rabbit out of a hat · participle past pulled a rabbit out of a hat · past pulled a rabbit out of a hat · alternative pull a rabbit from a hat

  1. idiomaticTo do something surprising and beneficial that is unexpected.

    But Salmond the magician's dazzle has not pulled those crucial rabbits out of his hat. Not on tax and spending, on the currency union which he wants (but rUK does not), on Scotland's relations with an EU which does not want this aggro.

    2014 September 8, Michael White, “Roll up, roll up! The Amazing Salmond will show a Scotland you won't believe”, in The Guardian

Origin

In reference to a popular conjuring trick.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Portuguese tirar um coelho da cartola
  • tirar um coelho da cartolaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

pull a rabbit out of a hat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20a%20rabbit%20out%20of%20a%20hat

MLA

“pull a rabbit out of a hat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20a%20rabbit%20out%20of%20a%20hat. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pull a rabbit out of a hat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pull%20a%20rabbit%20out%20of%20a%20hat.

Source: pull a rabbit out of a hat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.