have a memory like an elephant
Meaning: To remember things, especially slights, for a very long time.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “Don't expect her to forget that remark; she has a memory like an elephant.”
Category: Animals
Origin: Elephants' memory became proverbial around 1900: in 1904 a New York Times article quoted a circus trainer saying an elephant never forgets an injury, and Saki wrote the same year that "women and elephants never forget an injury." The ancient Greeks said it of camels.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: avoir une mémoire d'éléphant — literally: to have an elephant's memory
More idioms — Animals
- something fishy is going on — Something suspicious is happening.
- be full of beans — To be lively and full of energy.
- work oneself into a lather — To become very agitated, anxious or angry.
- like a bear with a sore head — In a very bad, irritable mood.
- prick up one's ears — To suddenly start listening closely.
- stir up a hornet's nest — To cause a lot of trouble or anger, often by provoking people.
More English idioms
- have a sharp tongue — To speak in a harsh, cutting way.
- be in the thick of it — To be in the busiest or most intense part of an activity.
- cut one's teeth — To gain one's first experience of something.
- be scared stiff — To be so frightened that one cannot move.
- have stars in one's eyes — To be dazzled or dreamily idealistic, especially about love or fame.
- hit a snag — To run into an unexpected problem.
From our proverbs
- Medlars are never good till they be rotten. — Unpleasant external conditions sometimes precede inner ripeness; patience reveals hidden…
- Time and straw make medlars ripe. — Patience and neglect accomplish what effort cannot; some things require only waiting.
- It is never too late to mend. — Mistakes and poor situations remain fixable at any age or stage, no matter how long you'v…