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white elephant

/ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt/

翻译: 指无用或累赘的财产,尤其指维护费用高昂或难以脱手的东西;常用来形容耗资巨大却未达目的的奢侈工程或建筑。

1 个条目

phrase

/ˌwaɪt ˈelɪfənt/C1informal
  • zh指无用或累赘的财产,尤其指维护费用高昂或难以脱手的东西;常用来形容耗资巨大却未达目的的奢侈工程或建筑。

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.

    zh累赘之物

    • 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.

    zh无用的礼物

    • 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.