# baby elephant in the room

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/baby-elephant-in-the-room
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

An obvious but mostly inconsequential issue.

## Examples

- We should talk about the baby elephant in the room.
- The minor typo on the menu was the baby elephant in the room that everyone noticed but nobody mentioned.
- While the committee focused on the major budget crisis, the baby elephant in the room remained the outdated office coffee machine that everyone quietly disliked.

## Origin

baby + elephant in the room

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.