(pink) elephant in the room phrase

[paloftoon]

"The elephant in the room" is a problem that everyone knows is there but no one wants to acknowledge.

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/104243/what-does-the-pink-elephant-in-the-room-mean

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_in_the_room

I just learned about this phrase today, and that some people may confuse the possible double meanings of "pink elephant" as opposed to "elephant". Some will think of a pink elephant literally, and some will think that the context always means someone being drunk.

 

[Crossbreed]

The "elephant" (whether pink or not) is saying that the problem is conspicuous. A "pink" elephant is a stereotypical drunken hallucination. I think someone is mixing two metaphors because a drunken hallucination would not be universally conspicuous.

In a limited sense, it might apply to an individual who has an obvious drinking problem that nobody wants to confront.

 

[zurb]

Around my friends, its just as likely to to be a deliberate mix of metaphors to get a meaning something like "the imaginary problem everyone is aware of". In fact, it could also go well with a Dilbert cartoon.

 

[StephF]

"The elephant in the room" is a problem that everyone knows is there but no one wants to acknowledge.

I never knew that before , thanks !

 

[Datura]

Of course the real question is how the elephant got into the room in the first place. Most doorways are insufficient for the accomodation of a pacederm, not to mention the intermediary elevators, hallways, and elevators (depending on the room in question). Furthermore, one would typically expect people to panic when confronted with an elephant in a confined space, not ignore it.

 

[King_Oni]

I use that expression quite often myself; for some reason I always address problems no one wants to acknowledge.

Regarding pink elephants; there's this hilarious scene from Dumbo... one of my favorite animated sequences

 

[Ylva]

An elephant in a regular-sized room is awkward, but you'd think a pink elephant would be a bit more so.

 

[SingaSong]

Thought I'd add another elephant phrase- white elephant
A white elephant is something that is expensive to maintain and not much use and may be very hard to get rid off. I had heard the phrase about a number of buildings.

I looked up where the phrase have come from and found on Wikipedia that a monarch in Thailand might give a white elephant to someone that had displeased them:
"Because the animals were considered sacred and laws protected them from labor, receiving a gift of a white elephant from a monarch was simultaneously a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because the animal was sacred and a sign of the monarch's favour, and a curse because the recipient now had an expensive-to-maintain animal he could not give away and could not put to much practical use."
The page on Wikipedia also had examples of things that have been called a white elephant.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant

 

[CDOCONNOR]

I use that expression quite often myself; for some reason I always address problems no one wants to acknowledge.

Regarding pink elephants; there's this hilarious scene from Dumbo... one of my favorite animated sequences

THis is one of my favorite scenes haha!!!