Oh look! It must be the elephant.

[housesparrow]

"The elephant in the room" is a phrase I keep hearing, but I'm not now sure what it means.

Now, I know all about "the elephant test" so assumed at first that speakers were talking about that.... the thing that everyone can recognise, but can't easily define. But the "elephant in the room" seems to mean something else.

Help.

[trubble]

The elephant in the room is the thing that people do not talk about despite it being most obviously questionable.


Imagine sitting in your sitting room with friends and a real elephant is standing in the corner yet no one even mentions it. Something so big and outstanding and so unmissable yet no one says a word? Why? Because it's rude to mention it, because it's so big where do you start, because you presume it already dealt with, that other people don't mention it so you won't... It's not because it can't be defined, because everyone knows it's an elephant, it's just that we choose to discuss something else less pertinent.

The 'elephant in the room' is the truth that people, for a variety of reasons, don't discuss.

[trubble]

[housesparrow]

Oh thanks. I knew I would find the answer here.

Love the cartoon.