I've written once before about how gradually the meaning of the term "the elephant in the room" is changing. It means something with a large presence that doesn't get talked about.
However, more and more I see it used this way (from a recent promotion for a webinar):
Jordan shares with us how YouTube is the elephant in the room. What does he mean by that?
- Everyone knows what YouTube is.
- Everyone considers it first for their solution.
- Everyone knows how to use YouTube.
- Everyone has watched a video on YouTube.
- Everyone is comfortable with it.
That's pretty much the opposite of the meaning, and I realized that it's taking the place of the 800-pound-gorilla, which was the previously popular phrase for something powerful.
Elephant vs. gorilla--advantage, elephant.
