white elephant

• Possession ou projet coûteux, encombrant ou inutile, difficile à entretenir ou à revendre, souvent un bâtiment ou une entreprise grandiose qui ne remplit pas son objectif.

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.

   éléphant blanc

   • 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.

   cadeau empoisonné

   • 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.