see the elephant

== English == === Pronunciation === === Verb === see the elephant (third-person singular simple present sees the elephant, present participle seeing the elephant, simple past saw the elephant, past participle seen the elephant) (US, obsolete, slang) To witness something unexpected and awe-inspiring. [early 19th c. to Civil War] (US, obsolete, slang) To be up to the latest moves; to be knowing and worldly. (US, American Civil War, slang) To witness or participate in a battle. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see see,‎ the,‎ elephant. ==== References ==== John Camden Hotten (1873), The Slang Dictionary