The house was empty, then the lights turned on; curiouser and curiouser.
curiouser and curiouser
idiomUsed to describe or react to an increasingly mysterious or peculiar situation.
Origin
first recorded 19th c.From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by the English author Lewis Carroll (1832–1898): see the quotation.
I found a locked door in my basement and then heard music coming from behind it, which felt curiouser and curiouser.
As the strange messages continued to arrive from an unknown sender, the situation became curiouser and curiouser, leaving me unable to sleep.
Last updated April 17, 2026