Idiom: The Elephant in the Room
an obvious problem nobody mentions
Examples
- Debt is the elephant in the room.
Key rules
- The elephant in the room is an obvious problem that people avoid discussing
- It is used for a serious topic that everyone ignores
- It is used with "is" or "there is": Debt is the elephant in the room
- Keep "the" before "room"
Common mistakes
- The elephant in room → The elephant in the room
💡 Tip: Use it to introduce a difficult topic: Let's talk about the elephant in the room.