IdiomAnimals
English
Englishhave a memory like an elephant
Meaning: To remember things, especially slights, for a very long time.
Example: “Don't expect her to forget that remark; she has a memory like an elephant.”
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
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