Example
“Nobody mentioned the budget cuts, the elephant in the room.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
read the room
CEFR B1to sense the mood, expectations, and dynamics of the people present
war room
CEFR B2a dedicated room, channel, or meeting where a team works intensively to solve a critical problem
white elephant
CEFR C1an expensive, burdensome asset that is hard to maintain and brings no benefit
a hot potato
CEFR B2A controversial or awkward issue that no one wants to deal with.
beat around the bush
CEFR B2To avoid talking about the main point directly.
bad news
CEFR A2an unpleasant piece of information; (informal) a person or thing likely to cause trouble
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.