The elephant in the room

from Jimmy Doyle (via SIAW) :

There is an elephant in the room and it’s a double standard of elephantine proportions.
...
My letter [to the Guardian] was published; this (opening) sentence was cut.
Exhibit B: Guardian feature from last year (not online) where people write in with questions about curious everyday phenomena (why does water go the other way down the plughole in the Southern Hemisphere, etc). Reader’s question: “Is there a reliable way of telling the difference between Americans and Canadians? I don’t want to take an instant dislike to the wrong person.”