see the elephant

1. Experience more than one wants to, learn a hard lesson; also, see combat, especially for the first time. For example, After the expedition lost two climbers in an avalanche, they had seen the elephant and turned back, or On his first tour of duty he saw the elephant. This slangy expression, first recorded in 1835, alludes to having seen all the sights one can see, including that rare beast, and returning home unimpressed or disappointed.

Example Sentences

Jackson added that Thomas refuses to see the "elephant in the room" - that race-based disparities continue to impede achievement for a great number of Americans.

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“Why have we been unable to see the elephant in the room?” she said.

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I look back just in time to see the elephant pull her trunk from the trough.

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I wish you would see the elephant in the room and help me sort this mess out.

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“Folks like Roger and Jim now see the elephant,” she said in an e-mail.

Read more on The New Yorker