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

A party where people (usually family, friends, or a combo of the two) get together and have a game where you unwrap, steal, and trade off presents never actually useful in real life. I mean, my family W.E. party got me a laser tape measure!

"What's up! How did the White Elephant party go?"
"I got a laser thingy!"
"Ooh! That sucks."
"Are you kidding?! That thing is awesome! You push the button and a little red dot comes out!"
"..."

by Drumline December 26, 2005

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 08, 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

A valuable item or act that requires expencive upkeep. Often the upkeep is not worth it.

The war on terrorism is a large white elephant.

by Halfofone June 28, 2005

White-Elephant

Motorcycle cops. (Australian) Named for the combination of overweight, white bikes and riders. And at some point, nearly everybody has thought about shooting one.

Hah hah, look at the white elephant, he's too fat to split lanes.

by Machiavelli Cheddars August 12, 2004