white elephant
B2Informal, occasionally journalistic/business
Definition
Meaning
A possession that is useless, troublesome, or difficult to get rid of, despite its high cost or initial appeal.
An expensive and burdensome project or scheme; something that consumes resources without adequate return. In historical/cultural contexts, a rare and sacred white elephant in South-East Asia, often given as a gift that was expensive to maintain.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as a metaphorical idiom. The literal meaning (the animal) is rare in modern general usage. Strong negative connotation regarding utility and value.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in meaning or usage. The idiom is equally understood and used in both varieties.
Connotations
Identical negative connotations of waste, burden, and impracticality.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[BE/Prove/Turn into] + a white elephantThe [PROJECT/SYSTEM/BUILDING] is a white elephant.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A white elephant sale (charity sale of unwanted items)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used to criticise failed investments, unprofitable projects, or underused infrastructure. 'The new regional headquarters became a white elephant after the merger.'
Academic
Used in economics, political science, or history to describe costly, failed public projects or policies.
Everyday
Used for unwanted gifts, impractical purchases, or home improvements that cause more trouble than they're worth. 'That expensive bread machine was a total white elephant; we used it once.'
Technical
Not typically used in highly technical STEM fields outside of project management contexts.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The project was doomed to white-elephant from the start.
American English
- The stadium white-elephanted the city's budget for a decade.
adjective
British English
- They scrapped the white-elephant scheme after a costly review.
American English
- The city is known for its white-elephant sports arena.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My mum says our old car is a white elephant.
- The new shopping centre is a white elephant; nobody goes there.
- The government was criticised for investing in a white elephant project that never attracted users.
- Critics argue that the high-speed rail link risks becoming a colossal white elephant, saddling future generations with debt for minimal economic benefit.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a giant, expensive-to-feed, white elephant you can't get rid of, sitting in your garden doing nothing useful. It's a beautiful burden.
Conceptual Metaphor
VALUABLE OBJECT IS A BURDEN (reversal of the typical metaphor). The metaphor originates from the historical practice of gifting rare white elephants which were sacred and could not be used for work, thus becoming a financial burden.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation 'белый слон'. While understood by some, it is not the standard idiom.
- The closer Russian idiom for a useless, burdensome thing is 'обуза' (burden) or 'непосильная ноша'. For a useless purchase, 'бесполезная трата денег' is more direct.
Common Mistakes
- Using it to mean simply 'something big' (size is not the key factor; burden/cost is).
- Confusing it with 'the elephant in the room' (an obvious problem no one discusses).
- Using it as an adjective without 'a' (e.g., 'It's white elephant' – incorrect; must be 'It's a white elephant').
Practice
Quiz
Which of these is the best example of a 'white elephant'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but rarely in everyday conversation. It refers to a rare, pale-coloured elephant considered sacred in some South-East Asian cultures. The idiom derives from this historical context.
Related, but different. A 'white elephant sale' is a charity event where people donate unwanted items (their personal 'white elephants') to be sold. The term humorously acknowledges the items' initial lack of utility to the donor.
It is unusual and potentially offensive. The idiom is almost exclusively used for objects, projects, or systems, not for people.
They are very close synonyms. A 'money pit' more strongly emphasises continuous, draining expense, while a 'white elephant' emphasises overall uselessness and burden, which includes but is not limited to ongoing cost.
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