The phrase “the elephant in the room” appears to have originated in the 1950s, and was popularized in addiction recovery literature. It’s the big, important thing that no one talks about. In recovery literature, that thing is alcoholism, and it’s often used to describe alcoholic family systems: There’s an elephant in the living room. We can talk about the odor, we can talk about the poo, we can talk about the broken furniture, and wonder aloud why all these things are happening, but we cannot talk about the elephant in the room. So: we can talk about Dad’s violence, his unemployment, his need to sleep in on Sunday mornings, but we cannot talk about the drinking.
There’s another phrase, “the 800 pound gorilla.” It has a completely different meaning and origin. It originates in a silly joke: Where does an 800 pound gorilla sit? Anywhere it wants to. The meaning is something so big and scary that you just have no choice but to give in to it. It’s a lot like “Let the Wookie win.”
But lately, I hear these two phrases conflated, and then you have “the 800 pound gorilla in the room.” There’s even a commercial about it now.
It’s driving me crazy.
Crazy.
There are two different phrases people. Two. Get it together!
That is all.
They are polar opposites.
No wait, that’s the one about the polar bear…
As our brother Paul says, “C’mon, people, it’s not rocket surgery.”
Assuming you don’t watch much (any?) pro sports on TV, it’s a good thing you don’t; there’s a mixed metaphor or butchered aphorism a minute. I’ve got to start writing them down as I hear them.
I venture into sports biannually for the Olympics, that’s about it. I do actually follow skating and gymnastics competitions throughout the year, but I don’t watch any pro sports.