sacred cow

noun

: one that is often unreasonably immune from criticism or opposition

Examples of sacred cow in a Sentence

The old government program has become a sacred cow.

Recent Examples on the Web

First impressions present several sacred cows that have been sacrificed in the name of progress: Porsche’s familiar left-hand key, famously introduced for running starts at Le Mans, has been swapped for a Start/Stop button. —Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 9 July 2024

And while Fleet Street has a reputation for fuzzy ethics, that goes hand in hand with a reader-pleasing willingness to scorch sacred cows. —Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 8 June 2024

Effectively, the rule appears to spell the end of exclusively single-family zoning — long a sacred cow in suburban Miami and the rest of the country — across unincorporated Miami-Dade. —Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024

Those cuts would even hit defense spending, long a sacred cow to Republicans. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from the veneration of the cow by Hindus

First Known Use

1910, in the meaning defined above