# take a wrong turn at Albuquerque

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/take-a-wrong-turn-at-albuquerque
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To take a wrong turn or miss a turn in a journey, so reaching a place distant from the original goal.

## Examples

- I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and got lost.
- You take a wrong turn at Albuquerque if you follow those old signs.
- He takes a wrong turn at Albuquerque every time he visits this park.
- We missed the exit and took a wrong turn at Albuquerque, so we arrived an hour late.
- I followed the GPS blindly and took a wrong turn at Albuquerque, ending up in a quiet residential neighborhood instead of the airport.
- The delivery driver took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and accidentally brought our pizza to a house three streets away.
- After misreading the map, they took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and found themselves driving through a remote desert instead of reaching the city.

## Origin

The phrase originates in the 1945 animated film Herr Meets Hare. It was subsequently established as a recurring motif in several Bugs Bunny cartoons, typically delivered when the protagonist emerged from a burrow to find himself in an unintended, often perilous, geography.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.