sacred cow
Something which cannot be tampered with, or criticized, for fear of public outcry. A person, institution, belief system, etc. which, for no reason other than the demands of established social etiquette or popular opinion, should be accorded respect or reverence, and not touched, handled or examined too closely.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“In this company, the old software is a sacred cow.”
“Free coffee in the office is a sacred cow that management avoids touching.”
“The manager wanted to change the schedule, but the tradition of Friday meetings is a sacred cow that nobody dares to challenge.”
“The local library is a sacred cow in our town, so the council will never dare to reduce its budget or change its opening hours.”
“Even though the team loses every game, the famous head coach remains a sacred cow because of his history with the club.”
“Although the department's outdated filing system hindered efficiency, it remained a sacred cow that the senior staff refused to modernize or even discuss.”
Originally American English (early 1900s), a reference to the elevated place of cows in Hinduism.
Last updated August 10, 2026