Elephant in the room
What
do you think ‘ elephant in the room’ means?
What
would be strange about an elephant in a room?
What does “elephant in the room”
mean? It is to ignore an obvious problem. It is to pretend not
to see an issue that stands out in a
very big way.
Example: As Jim was biking to work, a car
drove through water on the road and threw water all over him. He was completely
wet! But he still went to work because he didn’t want to be late.
Soon after arriving at work, Jim walked into a business meeting. He sat
down completely wet and acted like nothing was wrong. So his boss turned
to him and asked, “Jim, would you like to explain the elephant in the
room and tell us why you’re wet?”
Where did this phrase or idiom come from?
If an elephant were in your room, you would
notice it. How could you not? It’d stick
out. Elephants are the largest land animals on earth. They can
grow up to 4 meters tall and weigh as much as7,000 kg. So an elephant in
any type of room is not something that can easily be ignored.
So this phrase or idiom is a metaphor for when people are aware of a problem. But they decide to
not acknowledge it. It’s as if
there’s a giant animal in the room and they are intentionally ignoring it.
It is no easy to know when this phrase or
idiom started. However, it looks like this phrase is not old. The reason for
this is because its earliest known use in print is the mid 20th century.
According to Wikipedia, the Oxford English
Dictionary records the New York Times newspaper from June 20th, 1959,
as the first recorded use of this phrase.
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
ignore
|
A
|
1
|
Totally easy to see, very clear
|
obvious
|
B
|
2
|
To make it known that you see
someone/something
|
stands out
|
C
|
3
|
To do some action with a reason and is the
opposite of something happening accidentally
|
stick out
|
D
|
4
|
A word or phrase that is an image of some
other thing like an example of something
|
metaphor
|
E
|
5
|
To be different from all others/everything
else
|
aware
|
F
|
6
|
Very noticeable, everyone can see easily
|
acknowledge
|
G
|
7
|
To see but pretend to not see or to show no
interest
|
intentionally
|
H
|
8
|
To know and see something, to know something
is there
|
A=7, B=1, C=6, D=5, E=4, F=8, G=2, H=3
Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the
meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.
You must not ignore the weather
forecast. You must take an umbrella or you will get wet and cold.
It is obvious that 1 + 1 =2.
She was the stand out best
student in the school.
If you wear a red dress you
will stick out.
Pigs are often used as
metaphors for rude people.
Advertising increases our
awareness about a product or service.
I acknowledge that this class
is very hard.
His intention is to study
economics in Germany.
Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the
words/phrases in your answer.
Why would someone ignore an elephant in the room? Give
some examples.
Tell about a time something was
obvious but you did not want to tell
the other person. For example their fashion was obviously strange.
What stands out as interesting from today’s story?
If you are going for a job
interview, how can you stick out
from all the other applicants?
Do you have any favorite metaphors? – Perhaps you can think of
an animal metaphor.
Is there a problem you are
aware of but you intentionally ignore it? Why?
When someone acknowledges something good you have
done, how does it make you feel?
Do you think it is better to intentionally ignore another person’s actions that make you angry or unhappy? Why
or why not or when is it better to ignore
them?