English idiom of an obvious major problem that no one mentions
For other uses, see Elephant in the room (disambiguation).
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The metaphorical elephant in the room represents an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about.[1]
The expression "the elephant in the room" (or "the elephant in the living room")[2][3] 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, socially, or politically embarrassing, controversial, inflammatory, or dangerous. The metaphorical elephant represents an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about.[1][4][5]
It is based on the idea and thought that something as conspicuous as an elephant can appear to be overlooked in codified social interactions and that the sociology and psychology of repression also operates on the macro scale.
Various languages around the world have words that describe similar concepts.[citation needed]
^ abAnon (2023). "An elephant in the room: idiom, informal". cambridge.org. Cambridge University Press.
^"the elephant in the (living) room | meaning of the elephant in the (living) room in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE". www.ldoceonline.com. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
^"World Wide Words: Elephant in the room". World Wide Words. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
^Cambridge University Press. (2009). Cambridge academic content dictionary, p. 298.
^"Elephant in the room Idiom Definition – Grammarist". Grammarist. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
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