Englishwhite elephant
Meaning: An item that no one wants to buy or that is difficult to get rid of; a costly but useless possession.
Example: “The huge stadium built for the games became a white elephant.”
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: cattedrale nel deserto Literally: Cathedral in the desert
French: Entretenir une danseuse Literally: To keep a dancer
Origin: The item is usually not worthless, but for some reason other than cost, the item is difficult to sell. The origin of the expression is a traditional custom from Siam, present-day Thailand. If a rare albino (white) elephant was captured, it was the property of the emperor, and only he could ride or use the animal. Whenever the emperor wished to ruin someone who displeased him, he would give the man a white elephant. The man would then be forced to feed and care for the animal but could neither use nor destroy it.
More English idioms
- apple of one's eye A person or thing that is precious or loved above all else.
- big cheese An important, powerful or influential person.
- bite the dust To be destroyed or ruined beyond repair; slang for "to die".
- bitter pill to swallow A difficult or unpleasant reality to deal with.
- chew someone out To scold someone harshly.
- chew something over To think slowly and carefully about something.
Explore another collection: Untranslatable Words
Words that capture a feeling or idea English needs a whole sentence for.
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