What Does The Phrase There Is An Elephant In The Room Mean

The meaning if not the exact wording dates from at least the 1950s and is possibly some years older than that.

What does the phrase there is an elephant in the room mean.

The elephant in the room also elephant in the living room elephant in the corner elephant on the dinner table elephant in the kitchen etc is an english idiom for an obvious truth that is. What s the origin of the phrase the elephant in the room. The expression is of us origin although the precise source isn t known. Put another way it is a noticeable issue that is not acknowledged or addressed.

We re all avoiding the elephant in the room is an expression used to acknowledge that there is a serious issue or problem that is being ignored in the discussion usually a discussion that involves problem solving or decision making. Elephant in the room an obvious truth or fact especially one regarded as embarrassing or undesirable that is being intentionally ignored or left unaddressed. If there is an elephant in the room it means that an obvious problem is being ignored. In the early 20 th century the phrase began to signify something conspicuous and discordant that just can t be ignored.

One of the popular uses was a simile in the new york times. We all sat sipping our tea quietly no one wanting to bring up the elephant in the room about joel s expulsion from college. The expression 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 or is personally socially or politically embarrassing controversial inflammatory or dangerous. The concept was amusing enough to a few authors of that century that they frequently made references to krylov when mocking a character with poor perception although they never really mentioned that the elephant was in a room.

The first reference to the phrase that i have found is in the charleston gazette july 1952. Financing schools has become a problem about equal to having an elephant in the. The statement might be made by a person who feels responsible for getting to the real issue.