- “to have seen the ELEPHANT,” to be “_up_ to the latest move,” or “_down_ to the last new trick;” to be knowing, and not “green,” &c. Possibly a metaphor taken from the travelling menageries, where the ELEPHANT is the finale of the exhibition.—Originally an Americanism. Bartlett gives conflicting examples. General now, however. A modification of this is “having seen the king.” When a man becomes aware that he has been cheated or imposed on, and does not mean to stand it any longer, he is said to have seen the king, _i.e._, to have seen his adversary’s best card, and to be prepared for it.
More About elephant
Position in the dictionary: 1150 of 4022 slang words.Next words in the dictionary: elevated, enemy, essex lion, essex stile, evaporate, everlasting shoes, everlasting staircase, exasperate, exes, extensive
Previous words in the dictionary: elegant extracts, elbow grease, elbow, egg-flip, egg, efter, eavesdropper, eat his head off., ease, earwigging