white elephant

Etymology
In 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.

Noun



 * 1) An albino elephant.
 * 2)  A possession that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.

Derived terms

 * white elephant sale

Translations

 * French:
 * German: Weisser Elefant
 * Hebrew:
 * Italian: elefante bianco
 * Marathi: सफेद हत्ती
 * Polish: biały słoń
 * Portuguese: elefante branco
 * Punjabi:
 * Russian:
 * Spanish: elefante blanco
 * Telugu:
 * Thai:
 * Turkish: beyaz fil


 * German: nutzloser Besitz, nutzloser Gegenstand, finanzielle Last, lästiger Besitz,
 * Indonesian: gajah putih
 * Russian: (suitcase without a handle)