An elephant in the room is a popular English idiom, which means “an obvious problem that no one wants to discuss”.  A white elephant is a possession that cannot be disposed off and its cost maintenance outweighs its usefulness. Emotionally, it means an issue that no one wants to address. I once read a beautiful short story titled Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway. Read it here, and share your thoughts on the story in the comments below.