Vocab Bloom Hub

white elephant

/ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt/

الترجمة: ممتلكات أو مشروع عديم الفائدة أو مرهق، ولا سيما ما يكون باهظ التكلفة في صيانته أو يصعب التخلص منه؛ وغالباً ما يطلق على مشروع أو مبنى باهظ التكلفة لا يحقق هدفه.

مدخل واحد

phrase

/ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt/C1informal
  • arممتلكات أو مشروع عديم الفائدة أو مرهق، ولا سيما ما يكون باهظ التكلفة في صيانته أو يصعب التخلص منه؛ وغالباً ما يطلق على مشروع أو مبنى باهظ التكلفة لا يحقق هدفه.

A possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of; often refers to an extravagant project or building that fails to achieve its intended purpose.

  1. Useless or burdensome possessionB2informal

    A possession that is expensive to maintain and difficult to sell, often more trouble than it is worth.

    arملكية مرهقة

    • The old mansion became a white elephant after the family could no longer afford its upkeep.
    • That sports car is a white elephant; it costs a fortune in repairs.
    • The company's new headquarters turned out to be a white elephant due to high maintenance costs.
  2. Unwanted giftB2informal

    A gift that is unwanted, useless, or impractical, often given in a gift exchange game.

    arهدية غير مرغوب فيها

    • We played a white elephant gift exchange at the office party.
    • She received a white elephant gift: a set of ugly ceramic figurines.
    • The white elephant gift was a novelty item nobody wanted.