sacred cow

noun

1. an individual, organization, institution, etc., considered to be exempt from criticism or questioning.

sacred cow

noun

1. informal,  a person, institution, custom, etc, unreasonably held to be beyond criticism

sacred cow

1. Figuratively, anything that is beyond criticism: “That housing project is a real sacred cow: the city council won't hear of abandoning it.” In India, followers of Hinduism consider cows sacred and do not eat them because they believe the animals contain the souls of dead persons.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacred cow¹

First recorded in 1905–10; in reference to the traditional inviolability of the cow among Hindus

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacred cow¹

alluding to the Hindu belief that cattle are sacred

Idioms and Phrases

A person or thing immune to criticism or questioning, as in The rules governing the press conference have become a sacred cow in this administration. This term alludes to the honored status of cows in Hinduism, where they are a symbol of God's generosity to humankind. It has been used figuratively since about 1900.

Example Sentences

And in the Philippines, an independent commission has been set up to investigate the possible misuse of flood prevention funds, with President Marcos promising there would be "no sacred cows" in the hunt.

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"There will be no sacred cows in this pursuit," Mwiimbu added.

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“This means that the formula ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine — a sacred cow for Zelensky, the European Union and the previous U.S. administration — no longer exists.”

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Honor the victims, not foreign policy sacred cows.

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Greenfield called Jackson an “iconoclast,” and this contrarian spirit is integral to an artist who is dubious of sacred cows.

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