{"id":3806,"date":"2022-05-18T16:09:44","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3806"},"modified":"2022-05-18T16:09:44","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:09:44","slug":"white-elephant-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/white-elephant-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"White Elephant \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for a phrase to describe an unoccupied commercial property sitting idle doing nothing? If so, you could call it a \u201cwhite elephant<\/em>.\u201d This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The expression \u201cwhite elephant<\/em>\u201d means a piece of commercial real estate that no longer has any value and generates no cash flow. It sits dormant, doing nothing to add value to investors' portfolios.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It can also refer to construction projects, like soccer stadiums, built for a one-off purpose. Typically, these construction deals are filed with corrupt partners that benefit from the project financially.<\/p>\n

The phrase can also apply to any doomed company, organization, or business losing money. Some people may also use the term to describe a money-laundering front. The phrase means that the business or building is defunct and no longer has any commercial purpose.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\"You see that building over there? It's a white elephant. There are no tenants inside, and the mall management went bust a year ago.\"<\/p>\n

\"That property is a white elephant. It earns no income, and it's just costing us more in debt payments than its worth.\"<\/p>\n

\"That soccer stadium the government built for the World Cup turned out to be a white elephant. As soon as the tournament finished, it went dead quiet.\"<\/p>\n

\"The building in town is a white elephant. It's had no management for the last year, and homeless people took over the empty flats.\"<\/p>\n

\"Your property portfolio consists of nothing but white elephants. All these retail locations are down big for the year, and they aren't going to survive.\"<\/p>\n

\"In this economy, it's surprising that there aren't more white elephant properties in portfolio managers' assets.\"<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

Asian countries like Thailand and India view the albino elephant as a spiritual deity, holding it in the highest regard in their society. These animals have people that worship them, and owners must provide the elephant with a lifestyle other animals can only dream of attaining.<\/p>\n

As a result, it became a burden for people to own white elephants. If the king felt he wanted to punish one of his subjects, he would present them with a white elephant to care for, ruining their finances. The earliest reference to white elephants in Thailand traces back to the 17th century.<\/p>\n

However, the first instance of it being used in the same framing as the modern saying comes from G. E. Jewbury's Letters, published in 1892, where it appears as follows.<\/p>\n

\"His services are like so many white elephants, of which nobody can make use, yet that drain one's gratitude if indeed one does not feel bankrupt.\"<\/p>\n