EN English · informal · 5 of 6
the elephant in the room
pointed, tired of the avoidance
Word by word
the · elephant · in · the · room
Idiomatic sense
A fact that everyone present can see, and that the conversation is arranged to avoid. Debt, a failing project, a person who has left. The elephant is taking up the room. The phrase names the avoidance as much as the fact.
Informal, and now also a staple of journalism and meetings. It is not a phrase for a subtle problem. If people could honestly miss it, it is not this animal.
Examples
The budget is the elephant in the room.
The budget is the obvious thing nobody is mentioning.
We talked for an hour and never named the elephant in the room.
We talked for an hour and never mentioned the obvious problem.
Equivalents
Marks say how far the other phrase travels with this one. How to read them.
- partial
un sujet tabou
A taboo subject may be unspoken. It need not be obvious to everyone in the room. The elephant is obvious.
- partial
触れてはいけない話題
A topic one must not touch. It may be a matter of manners rather than a fact sitting in plain sight.
- none
das Offensichtliche nicht ansprechen
German can say this in a sentence. A compact animal-idiom for the same avoidance is not offered here. No equivalent is claimed.
- none
A narrow view. Different job. Cross-referred so the two are not paired just because both are animals.
- none
el tema del que nadie habla
A description, not a stock phrase. No equivalent is claimed.
Notes
The phrase is about a shared silence. A problem only one person can see is a different situation, and this headword oversells it.
Sources
- Standard current idiom. Wording is original.