A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but
burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost
(particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth.
The term derives from the
story that the kings of Siam (now Thailand) were accustomed
to make a present of one of these animals to courtiers who had rendered
themselves obnoxious, in order to ruin the recipient by the cost of its
maintenance.
In modern usage, it is an
object, scheme, business venture, facility, etc., considered without use or
value. Something that is more trouble than it is worth, or has outlived its usefulness to the current owner.
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