Thus, this metaphor might be applied to situations where a person is aware of a problem, but they choose to not acknowledge it. It’s as if there is a big elephant in the room and they are intentionally ignoring it. The Origin of This Phrase So where did this idiom come from? Unfortu...
When you hear “the elephant in the room,” you can be sure it’s considered an English idiom or idiomatic phrase because it’s not a true statement; there’s no actual giant elephant standing in the room. What’s the Meaning of White Elephants in the Room? “White elephant in the ro...
Origin of “elephant in the room” MY LATEST POSTS The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, but the first recorded use of the phrase “the elephant in the room” was in a 1814 fable by Ivan Krylov. In the fable, a man goes to a museum and sees an elephant, but he doesn’t no...
The Prime Minister held a press conference announcing proposals to reform few laws, calmly overlookingthe elephant in the room. We needto address the elephant in the room, though, that being the often cruel treatment of animals at product testing facilities. Origin This metaphorical phrase refers ...
Origin ofelephant in the room1 First recorded in1935–40 Discover More Example Sentences For me, the greatest elephant in the room is our government’s possession of a vast supply of nuclear weaponry capable of causing exponentially more destruction than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki...
The elephant in the room The elephant in the room Meaning An important and obvious topic, which everyone present is aware of, but which isn't discussed, as such discussion is considered to be uncomfortable. Origin The expression is of US origin, although the precise source isn't known. The...
"Muscle" originates from the Latin word for "little mouse," because physicians thought that muscles looked like little mice running under the skin. Did You Know? "Luftmensch," literally meaning "air person," is the Yiddish way of describing someone who is a bit of a dreamer. ...
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Therefore, it doesn’t really have a place in your fantasy world unless there are horses and gambling involved. And I’ll let the cat out of the bag here. It’s still unclear whether the ‘elephant in the room’ refers to an actual elephant. One possible origin is Ivan Krylov’s tale...
Word Origin Want to learn more? Find out which words work together and produce more natural-sounding English with theOxford Collocations Dictionaryapp. Try it for free as part of theOxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionaryapp. Idioms the elephant in the room ...