The term elephant test refers to situations in which an idea or thing "is hard to describe, but instantly recognizable when spotted".

Uses

The term is often used in legal cases when there is an issue which may be open to interpretation, such as in the case of Cadogan Estates Ltd v Morris, when Lord Justice Stuart-Smith referred to "the well known elephant test. It is difficult to describe, but you know it when you see it".

See also

• Blind men and an elephant
  Blind Men and an Elephant
  The story of the blind men and an elephant originated in India from where it is widely diffused. It has been used to illustrate a range of truths and fallacies...
  
  
• Duck test
  Duck test
  The duck test is a humorous term for a form of inductive reasoning. This is its usual expression:The test implies that a person can identify an unknown subject by observing that subject's habitual characteristics...
  
  
• Elephant in Cairo
  Elephant in Cairo
  An elephant in Cairo is a term used in computer programming to describe a piece of data inserted at the end of a search space, which matches the search criteria, in order to make sure the search algorithm terminates...
  
  
• Elephant in the room
  Elephant in the room
  "Elephant in the room" is an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is being ignored or goes unaddressed. The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss....
  
  
• I know it when I see it
  I know it when I see it
  The phrase "I know it when I see it" is a colloquial expression within the United States by which a speaker attempts to categorize an observable fact or event, although the category is subjective or lacks clearly defined parameters. The phrase was famously used by United States Supreme Court...
  
  
• Seeing the Elephant
  Seeing the Elephant
  The phrase "seeing the elephant" is an Americanism of the mid to late 19th century. Seen throughout the United States in the Mexican-American War, the Texas Santa Fe Expedition, the American Civil War, the 1849 Gold Rush, and the Westward Expansion Trails , the mythical elephant was an extremely...