The elephant in the room
What is an idiom? An idiom is a phrase or expression. They are tricky to understand as their meanings do not directly relate to the individual words used in the phrase.
Definition:
The English idiom "the elephant in the room" means a big, obvious problem or issue that everyone knows about but avoids discussing because it is uncomfortable or embarrassing.
Origin:
The phrase comes from the idea that an elephant is huge and hard to miss. If an elephant were standing in a room, everyone would see it. And if people pretended it wasn't there, it would seem strange. This image is used to describe a serious issue that people ignore.
Examples:
The phrase is frequently used and is a versatile idiom commonly used and well understood in many English-speaking cultures.
Here are examples of how the idiom can be used in sentences:
Work context:
"The meeting went on for hours, but nobody mentioned the elephant in the room: the company’s financial struggles."
"Everyone talked about future plans, but the elephant in the room was the possibility of layoffs (job cuts)."
Family context:
"During the family dinner, they all chatted politely, ignoring the elephant in the room—their parents' upcoming divorce."
"We can’t keep pretending that everything is fine when the elephant in the room is Dad’s serious illness."
Political context:
"The debate was lively, but no one brought up the elephant in the room: climate change."
"The new policy sounds promising, but the elephant in the room is how they plan to fund it."
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