What is an elephant?

You all know what an elephant is right? If not, I’ll tell you…


An elephant is the largest mammal on the planet. They are native to Africa and Asia and eat plants. Elephants have big ears and a long trunk.

 

The word ‘elephant’ can be used as a slang term to describe a fat person (although I wouldn’t recommend using it!).

e.g. I’m not sitting next to Rosy on the bus! I’ll have no space, she’s an elephant.

Elephant idioms and sayings

Here’s a list of idioms with elephants.

  • elephant in the room    
    meaning – a controversial issue that is obvious but ignored
    example – When are we going to talk about the elephant in the room? Our growing debt.
  • see pink elephants  
    meaning – hallucinations caused by drink or drugs
    example – Those pills we took were crazy. I saw pink elephants for days afterwards.
  • white elephant
    meaning – a useless possession or investment
    example – My caravan is a white elephant. The weather is always bad, so no one wants to rent it.

Elephant idioms and sayings with pictures

Click on the pictures below to learn some common idioms and expressions with elephants. Each idiom includes the meaning and a real-life picture example.​

popular idioms - animal idioms - elephant idioms and sayings
elephant idioms and sayings - elephant in the room
elephant idioms and sayings - see pink elephants
elephant idioms and sayings - white elephant

You can download a table of elephant idioms and sayings below.

If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more animal idioms by clicking on the links below.