white elephant
A possession that is unwanted or is a financial burdenA possession that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.
» The new airport has been called a white elephant.
Hybrid · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
2 senses(figuratively)A possession that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.
nutzloser Besitz, nutzloser Gegenstand, finanzielle Last
чемода́н без ру́чкиčemodán bez rúčki
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see white, elephant.
- albinic Indian elephant; rare and sometimes venerated in east Asia
- a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive
Examples
5 sentencesThe new airport has been called a white elephant.
Such a big gift is a white elephant to us.
We'd better try to sell or give away all these white elephants we've collected.
People say the new airport is as big and useless as a white elephant.
What should we do with this white elephant your aunt gave us? It's way too ugly to go on the wall.
ruЧто нам делать с этим белым слоном, которого нам подарила твоя тетя? Он слишком страшный, чтобы вешать его на стену. — afyodor
Translations
4 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
In Siam, elephants were working animals. However, white (albino) elephants were consideredIn Siam, elephants were working animals. However, white (albino) elephants were considered sacred and therefore were not to be put to work. The owner was then left to feed the elephant but could get no work from it. It is said that the King of Siam used to make a present of a white elephant to courtiers he wanted to ruin.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: white elephants| Singular | white elephant |
|---|---|
| Plural | white elephants |
regular