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Idiom of the Day

“The elephant in the room”

“The elephant in

the room” is a blatantly obvious topic of discussion that everyone is thinking, but everyone avoids bringing it up because it may start an argument or a difficult situation. Maybe at work the boss talks about health care benefits, but everyone in the room has been talking about a raise for a year. Or at a dinner party with friends, someone brings their mistress as a guest. Everyone’s eyes will dart around looking at each other, but the topic will remain unspoken. This can happen within a marriage, parenting, addictions, or any other moment of great avoidance.

Comments

  • Cranberrie

    Then there are elephants everywhere 😂...

  • Céci

    @Scott Cecil Allen I've got it much better now, thank you ☺️.

  • Jaber

    Thank you sir.

  • Janet

    Does this idiom mainly refer to something important that must be resolved, but people just avoid bringing it up, even if they know the more they procrastinate, the worse the thing gets?

  • Leela

    @Scott Cecil Allen now it's so accurate, thanks alot and sounds really interesting..! But I wanna ask you one thing, does this idiom work in The UK, aus or canada, or it's just considered as a slang language in the US..!

  • Scott Cecil Allen Lifetime VIP

    @Leela The difference is, “the elephant in the room” means NO ONE is talking about it. There is no gossip being spoken. But there is a social, mutual understanding that no one should say anything about the situation. Everyone is just quiet, even if someone brings up a topic similar to the situation. So let’s say your boss brings his affair lover to dinner as a guest. The topics of cheating, affairs, etc. would NOT get talked about! And if there was any hinting about it, you would get piercing stares from other people. “Hey, I just learned something interesting about US President Bill Clinton!” (ENTIRE TABLE STARES AT YOU WITH BIG ANGRY EYES!) (He is known in my country for having many affairs) “........ Ummm... He ... plays the saxophone!...”

  • Scott Cecil Allen Lifetime VIP

    @tina oh yes! This is a great example.

  • Scott Cecil Allen Lifetime VIP

    @Yuki I honestly thought about this the whole time I was writing it. 😂😂😂 If any idiom represents Japan, it is this one. 😂😂

  • Scott Cecil Allen Lifetime VIP

    @Céci Let’s say you used to be married before but your late husband died in a tragic car accident. A couple of years later, maybe at a big family dinner during a wedding, no one would want to talk about your deceased husband because they don’t want to bring up bad memories. That situation about your deceased husband would be the elephant in the room.

  • Leela

    @Scott Cecil Allen if you talk about anyone in his back it's a gossip even if it's true

  • Scott Cecil Allen Lifetime VIP

    @Leela It can be gossip or it can be serious.

  • Marwa

    @Céci ❤️ it's a pleasure sis

  • Céci

    @Marwa yeah I see thank you ☺️

  • Анастасия Lifetime VIP

    Very interesting! Thank you very much!

  • Marwa

    @sahar ❤️❤️ you're welcome sister

  • sahar

    @Marwa Yeah that is very clear thnx

  • Marwa

    @sahar @Céci it's when u avoid speaking about something that may cause a problem.. for example, if a son sees his father do something wrong (in a bar with an other woman).. and the father knows that his son saw him.. but when at home no one has the courage to talk about it.. or any other embarrassing topic did you get it?

  • tina VIP

    The fact that young and healthy Brian was admitted to the hospital was his friends’ elephant in the room.

  • sahar

    I didn’t get it yet

  • tina VIP

    How the boss met his young girl friend was a big elephant in the room at the party last week.

  • Yuki

    This idiom represents Japan🤣 It happens all the time here. “暗黙の了解”.

  • Céci

    I didn't get the meaning clearly, would you give me another example please? Do you want to say that person is out of discussion?

  • sunny

    thank you for sharing the new idiom

  • Umar Farooq

    Thank you sir for this help!

  • Jin

    Thank you👍

  • Leela

    So, in another word, it's kind of gossips, right..!

  • Melike67093

    There is an elephant in the room, but nobody wants to bring it up properly. I guess this situation won't change the fact that he will get fired very soon.

  • sin19

    Very useful! Thanks!

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