elephant in the room
/ˌeləfənt ɪn ðə ˈruːm/
an obvious problem that everyone ignores
elephant in the room in a sentence
“The company's debt was the elephant in the room.”
Origin of elephant in the room
From 1950s fable of elephant in living room that people politely ignore despite its obviousness
Related Words
get cold feet
to become nervous and hesitate before doing something
get out of hand
to become uncontrolled or unmanageable
hit the nail on the head
to describe exactly what is causing a situation
in hot water
in trouble or in a difficult situation
jump on the bandwagon
to join others in doing something fashionable
keep your chin up
remain cheerful in difficult circumstances