pachyderm

インド南部で行われたヒンズー教の祭りで会場にいたゾウが突然暴れ出し，人力車やオートバイを壊す騒ぎがありました。幸いにも負傷者は出なかったようです。記事はCNNからの引用。
今回採り上げるのはpachydermという単語。-dermはdermatology（皮膚病学）などからもわかるように「皮膚」を表し，pachy-は「厚い」（英辞郎 on the WEB）を意味します。よってpachydermは象やカバ，サイなどの「厚皮動物」を表します（『プログレッシブ英和中辞典』小学館）。また比ゆ的に「面の皮の厚い人」「鈍感な人」という意味もあるので，ついでに押さえておこうと思います。（Koyamamoto）

Elephant throws rickshaws and motorcycles during Hindu festival in India
(CNN)An angry elephant went on a rampage in southern India, smashing a line of motorized rickshaws and motorcycles, authorities said.
No one was hurt, said Jaidev Girjakumar, the assistant superintendent of police in Kerala state's Palakkad district.
Possibly spooked by another pachyderm, the elephant tossed the vehicles around with his trunk, slamming them to the ground. Two people riding on his back held on for their lives.
The elephant went berserk during a Hindu festival last week and was eventually tranquilized, said K. Karthikeyan with the state Forests and Wildlife Department.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/01/asia/india-elephant-rampage/index.html