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White Elephant

A useless object, an expensive but useless possession

Etymology:

  • There is an old saying in ancient Siam, now known as Thailand, that a king gave white elephant as a gift to someone he didn’t like. The white elephant are very rare and are considered priceless but they are not used for any work and require a fortune to feed them. The courier who received the gift in well wish was unable to get rid of the elephant as it was a gift but the cost of the elephant ruined that person. The expression originated in the English language in the 19th century and represents something that is very expensive but useless for the owner.
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To decorate the house, you must sell all those white elephants.

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Submitted on February 25, 2019

Additional definitions for 'White Elephant':

white elephantAn albino elephant.
white elephantAn ornament etc that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.
white elephantSomething you have but useless
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the White Elephant phrase in other languages:

elefante blanco

白象

белый слон

سفید ہاتھی

白象

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to White Elephant

white holeWhite Housewhite as snowwhite hatWhite Lightnin,like white on ricein black and whitewhite magicwhite goodsfree, white, and twenty-onewave the white flagsee the elephantin black and whitewhite out

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    "White Elephant." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 Nov. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/white-elephant_45134>.

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