What is the meaning of the expression ‘elephant in the room’?

If an elephant were standing in your room, it would be impossible to ignore it. When you say that a problem is an elephant in the room, you mean it is a very serious problem that everyone is aware of, but chooses to ignore. People try not to talk about it. Another expression which has the same meaning is ‘gorilla in the room’.

*Corruption. The elephant in the room that no politician is willing to talk about.

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“A fool and her money are soon courted.” — Helen Rowland

What is the meaning of the expression ‘elephant in the room’?

If an elephant were standing in your room, it would be impossible to ignore it. When you say that a problem is an elephant in the room, you mean it is a very serious problem that everyone is aware of, but chooses to ignore. People try not to talk about it. Another expression which has the same meaning is ‘gorilla in the room’.

*Corruption. The elephant in the room that no politician is willing to talk about.

******

“A fool and her money are soon courted.” — Helen Rowland

Is it okay to say ‘complete novice’?

First, let’s deal with the pronunciation of ‘novice’. The ‘o’ is like the ‘o’ in ‘hot’, ‘pot’, and ‘got’, and the ‘i’ is like ‘i’ the ‘it’, ‘bit’, and ‘kit’. The final ‘ce’ sounds like the ‘s’ in ‘sit’, ‘sip’, and ‘sun’. The word is pronounced ‘NO-vis’ with the stress on the first syllable. When you say that someone is a novice, you mean that the person is a beginner; he has no real experience. It is common to hear native speakers of English referring to someone as being a ‘complete novice’. Careful users of the language frown upon this.

*When it comes to tennis, Vijaya is a complete novice.

Is it okay to say ‘complete novice’?

First, let’s deal with the pronunciation of ‘novice’. The ‘o’ is like the ‘o’ in ‘hot’, ‘pot’, and ‘got’, and the ‘i’ is like ‘i’ the ‘it’, ‘bit’, and ‘kit’. The final ‘ce’ sounds like the ‘s’ in ‘sit’, ‘sip’, and ‘sun’. The word is pronounced ‘NO-vis’ with the stress on the first syllable. When you say that someone is a novice, you mean that the person is a beginner; he has no real experience. It is common to hear native speakers of English referring to someone as being a ‘complete novice’. Careful users of the language frown upon this.

*When it comes to tennis, Vijaya is a complete novice.

What is the difference between ‘call for’ and ‘call upon’?

When you ‘call on’ or ‘call upon’ someone, you pay a visit to the person. Unlike ‘drop in on’, when you ‘call on’ someone, you usually make an appointment. You let the person know in advance that you are coming. Of the two, ‘call upon’ is considered to be formal.

*While he was in Delhi, the former Prime Minister called upon the President.

*Is it okay if we call on your neighbours this evening?

When you ‘call for’ someone or something, you usually shout for the person or thing. This is just one of the meanings of this phrasal verb.

*Maya stood in front of her house and kept calling for her dog.

What is the difference between ‘call for’ and ‘call upon’?

When you ‘call on’ or ‘call upon’ someone, you pay a visit to the person. Unlike ‘drop in on’, when you ‘call on’ someone, you usually make an appointment. You let the person know in advance that you are coming. Of the two, ‘call upon’ is considered to be formal.

*While he was in Delhi, the former Prime Minister called upon the President.

*Is it okay if we call on your neighbours this evening?

When you ‘call for’ someone or something, you usually shout for the person or thing. This is just one of the meanings of this phrasal verb.

*Maya stood in front of her house and kept calling for her dog.

What do you call someone who goes to someone’s party without being invited?

Are you planning on doing this anytime soon? When you walk into someone’s party or any event without being invited, you become a ‘gatecrasher’. Such people are said to ‘crash’ the party.

*We ran out of food because there were too many gatecrashers.