elephant in the room
- Dictionary
elephant in the room
A noun phrase is a group of words that acts like a noun in a sentence or phrase (e.g., un je ne sais quoi).
1. (idiom) (obvious but unaddressed problem)
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
a. l'éléphant dans la pièce (M) (idiom) (calque from English)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. French nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la dame or la lune) or masculine (like l'homme or le soleil).
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
The elephant in the room is that the product simply doesn't work.L'éléphant dans la pièce, c'est que le produit ne fonctionne tout simplement pas.
b. l'éléphant au milieu de la pièce (M) (idiom) (calque from English)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. French nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la dame or la lune) or masculine (like l'homme or le soleil).
An idiom is a phrase with a meaning different from the literal meaning of the separate words that make it up (e.g., break a leg).
Alright, let's talk about the elephant in the room: we're way over budget.Bon, on va parler de l'éléphant au milieu de la pièce : nous avons largement dépassé le budget.
c. le non-dit (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. French nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la dame or la lune) or masculine (like l'homme or le soleil).
The pay disparity remained the elephant in the room throughout the negotiations.La disparité salariale est restée le non-dit des négociations.
d. le sujet que personne n'ose aborder (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. French nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la dame or la lune) or masculine (like l'homme or le soleil).
At dinner, the inheritance dispute was the elephant in the room.Au dîner, le conflit lié à l'héritage était le sujet que personne n'osait aborder.
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