The Elephant In The Room: Meaning & Origin Revealed

Nowadays, there’s a saying for just about everything, and the “elephant in the room” is one of many, with an interesting backstory. Though poet, Ivan Andreevich Krylov (1769-1844), is often credited with the saying, his original reference wasn’t intended to convey the meaning it does today.

“The elephant in the room” is simply a euphemism for an issue or circumstance that’s very obvious, yet utterly ignored by everyone. It’s something so big that it can’t be overlooked, however, everyone seems to ignore it anyway.

Andeevich Krylov is the originator of the term, although there is some historical confusion regarding this. Most people accept that Krylov coined the term from his Russian fable, The Inquisitive Man, but its meaning in today’s context emerged much later.

Origin of the Elephant in the Room

The above-mentioned fable, The Inquisitive Man, was published in 1814. It’s a Russian fable that tells the story of a man who pays a visit to the museum. The visiting man studiously observes and inspects several wonders, mostly tiny, intricate things within the museum

Throughout the entirety of his visit, however, there is a live, very large elephant standing in the room with him, as he flits from exhibit to exhibit, marveling over small pieces. The entire time, the man ignores the elephant. He ignores it entirely as if there is not a huge, lumbering beast standing in the room with him.

Now, the fable is an allegory for ignoring a problem. Whether Krylov used the elephant as a euphemism for a decidedly enormous problem or if he used the animal to represent something obvious, is up to interpretation. The tale of the “elephant in the room” doesn’t end there.

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky was a Russian journalist, novelist, and short story writer who lived in Russia throughout the latter half of the 19th century. One of his most prolific and seminal works was “Demons,” a novel published in the Russian Messenger in 1871.

The novel, also known as The Possessed, is a satirical masterwork That focuses on social and political events of the time. Whether you’ve heard of the novel or not, the point is, Dostoevsky mentioned the “elephant in the room” when describing his protagonist, Belinsky.

According to Dostoevsky, “Belinsky was just like Krylov’s Inquisitive Man, who didn’t notice the elephant in the museum.” This was the first known elaboration on Ivan Andreevich Krylov’s seminal work and was partially responsible for maintaining the euphemism (along with the underlying meaning) and extending it to the next generation.

The Elephant in the Room in Modern Times

The Elephant in the Room truly gained the standing it enjoys today in 1959, courtesy of a yet unmentioned New York Times journalist who supposedly wrote, “Financing schools has become a problem about equal to having an elephant in the living room. It’s so big you just can’t ignore it.”

From that point on, people have maintained the saying “elephant in the room,” which Krylov originally wrote 209 years ago, and which still maintains its mantra 64 years later. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the lion’s share of the credit to the New York Times editorial, though it rightfully belongs to Krylov.

When is the Saying Appropriate?

Accurate use of the saying usually boils down to where you are and what everyone is ignoring at the moment. In some situations, the elephant in the room applies to a person and, oftentimes, the saying revolves around simple gossip.

For instance, Joe arrives at the party and didn’t realize that Sue, his ex-wife, is also at the party. As the evening goes on, Sue and Joe go out of their way to ignore each other. Most of the people at the party are well aware of the details of Sue and Joe’s divorce, and everyone ignores the topic out of respect for Sue and Joe.

The above example is a case where there are multiple elephants in the room, depending on who each person is about Joe and Sue. Sue’s friends would largely consider Joe to be the elephant in the room, while Joe’s friends would assume the exact opposite.

On the other hand, the topic of Joe and Sue’s breakup is also an elephant in the room. Sue and Joe’s presence creates this elephant. If only Sue or only Joe showed up, the topic of their divorce is probably not something that would arise. Or, if only one showed up, the subject of the divorce might gain more traction, as people talk to either Joe or Sue about it.

In the latter case, the elephant in the room is addressed, so it’s no longer the elephant.

All Things Considered

The elephant in the room saying is, in and of itself, a historical, non-physical object. It has existed, in one variation or another, for over two centuries now, becoming the saying we recognize today in 1959. Like many modern sayings, it’s classical, and most don’t even realize it.

Euphemisms have a lot to teach us, whether it’s the meaning of the specific saying or its historical story. If you enjoy a good story, you’ll find one behind just about every modern saying you can think of. The elephant in the room is an oldie but a goodie and, like most sayings, has little to do with the animal itself.