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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

pull a rabbit out of a hat en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

In reference to a popular conjuring trick.

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) To 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:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
pulled a rabbit out of a hat Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
pulled a rabbit out of a hat Tense=Past lexicographic
pulls a rabbit out of a hat Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
pull a rabbit from a hat alternative lexicographic
pulling a rabbit out of a hat Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Translations (1)

pt tirar um coelho da cartola (Translations)