the elephant in the room
an obvious problem nobody wants to discuss
In Spanish
el elefante en la habitación, lo evidente que nadie menciona
Examples
- Nobody addressed the elephant in the room: the company is hiring nobody this quarter.
- Despite the friendly meeting, the elephant in the room was the recent layoffs.
- At the family dinner, nobody mentioned the elephant in the room: the upcoming divorce.
When it's used
This idiom is used in informal speech and writing to highlight an obvious issue everyone is avoiding. It's common in contexts where there's an expectation someone should address an uncomfortable or sensitive topic. It's mostly used in close or professional settings, but rarely in very formal contexts.
The common mistake
A common mistake is translating it directly from Spanish as 'the elephant in the bedroom', which is incorrect in English. Some learners might also mistakenly use 'the elephant in the space', which doesn't have the intended meaning.