White Elephant
Etymology
From the tradition, associated with the kings of Siam (modern Thailand), of giving a sacred albino elephant to a courtier who had fallen from favor: the animal could not be put to work or refused, and its upkeep quietly ruined the recipient. The phrase came to English for any costly, useless burden. A separate sense — the "white elephant" gift exchange — descends from the same idea of an unwanted, hard-to-offload item.
noun phrase · /WYT EL-uh-fuhnt/
A possession that costs more to keep than it is worth and cannot easily be disposed of.
What it names
For the burdensome asset — a grand project or gift whose upkeep outweighs any benefit.
Example
The half-empty stadium became a white elephant the city is still paying off.
Related idea
A boondoggle is wasteful work that produces little of value; a white elephant is the resulting object nobody wants but everyone must maintain — wasteful effort versus a costly burden.
See also