see the elephant

present singular third person sees the elephant · participle present seeing the elephant · past saw the elephant · participle past seen the elephant

1. USobsoleteslangTo witness something unexpected and awe-inspiring.First known use early 19th c. to Civil War
2. USobsoleteslangTo be up to the latest moves; to be knowing and worldly.

   "[W]hy he's a natural born carakter. He is the best hand at a yarn in all west country, and will whip more cats, tell more lies, and eat more pork, than any fellow in Texas. […] [H]e's rare, jist the chap, and no mistake. He's seen the elephant, I imagine, a little more nor twice, I expect."

   1846, The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, page 338

3. USslangAmerican Civil WarTo witness or participate in a battle.
4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see see, the, elephant.