white elephant

Term referring to something not particularly useful that has very high cost of upkeep.

Famous white elephants include Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the former Millennium Dome in London and the Concorde jet.

by beau99 April 27, 2010

white elephant

an unwanted gift that one has no use for

I have no need for this white elephant. Do you know anywhere I can sell it?

by Light Joker January 18, 2006

white elephant

1)A gag gift, usually an unwanted gift that is rewrapped and redistributed. 2)Bundy Gift.

I got this Joey Fatone Bobblehead doll from that turkey across the street. What could I do with it? I know, It can be the White Elephant at the Christmas party this year!

by Bedford Hopeful November 8, 2004

white elephant

a project/venture/possession whose cost of maintenance is way higher than its rating of usefulness.

the freedom tower in NY is currently a major example of a white elephant, they could have just built the WTC Twin Towers II instead.

by jackass25 June 12, 2010

white elephant

1. the obese white women preferred by African American males.

Brothers who date white chicks are usually just thinning the herd of white elephants.

by Mike Oxhard July 13, 2006

white elephant

A mystery drug (of unknown nature and effect) given by one person to another, the former often using the latter as a guinea pig to test the drug's effects.

Especially refers to this scenario when the drug's post-ingestion effect is particularly debilitating, such as that of horse or elephant tranquilizer.

Someone gave her a white elephant, and now she's in the bathroom vomiting.

by watcher04 February 14, 2009

white elephant

a) Unwanted or unneeded object
b) An aborted fetus

"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemmingway

by Adevna November 13, 2011