Idioms Entry 389 / 1011 60-second read

White Elephant

A possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

I saw a white elephant at the zoo.

✓ Correct

The new stadium is a white elephant; it's too big and costs millions to keep empty.

The ruleii

WHITE ELEPHANT = a gift you didn't want and can't afford.

Also refers to a 'White Elephant' gift exchange (a game).

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

Expensive burden.

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