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If you say there is an elephant in the room, you mean that there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Difficult situations and unpleasant experiences. a (heavy) cross to bear idiom. abyss. adversity. at your worst idiom. Augean. bad hair day. emergence.
The expression "the elephant in the room" (or "the elephant in the living room") is a metaphorical idiom in English for an important or enormous topic, question, or controversial issue that is obvious or that everyone knows about but no one mentions or wants to discuss because it makes at least some of them uncomfortable and is personally ...
May 21, 2024 · The meaning of ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM is an obvious major problem or issue that people avoid discussing or acknowledging. an obvious major problem or issue that people avoid discussing or acknowledging…
Whether you call it an “elephant in the room” or a “white elephant in the room,” the meaning is pretty much the same. At least, the intent is. It represents a problem or issue causing discomfort or difficulty that needs to be addressed but is probably ignored because no one wants to deal with it.
T he expression “elephant in the room”, sometimes also “elephant in the living room”, means “a big issue everyone is aware of, but which is being ignored, because everybody finds discussion about it uncomfortable”. The rationale behind the idiom is that an elephant in a (living) room would be impossible to overlook, but people in ...
The meaning, if not the exact wording, dates from at least the 1950s and is possibly some years older than that. The first reference to the phrase that I have found is in The Charleston Gazette, July 1952: “Chicago, that’s an old Indian word meaning get that elephant out of your room.”.
Meaning: If there is an elephant in the room, it means that an obvious problem is being ignored. Put another way, it is a noticeable issue that is not acknowledged or addressed. Example: Jim arrived at work and his clothes were soaking wet!
