English

Noun

elephant in the room ‎(plural elephants in the room)

1. (idiomatic) A problem or difficult issue that is very obvious, but is ignored for the convenience or comfort of those involved.
   • 2008, Nicholas Rufford, "Motormouth: The car of the future, at £1,300," Sunday Times (UK), 6 Jan.,

     There is an elephant in the room that nearly every politician and green campaigner is ignoring. It’s called population growth.

Derived terms

• gorilla in the room

Translations

See also

• 800-pound gorilla