Burdensome possession

• Troublesome gift

The Collaborative International Dictionary Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
White elephant \White elephant\ Something requiring much care and expense to maintain and yielding little profit, and often difficult to sell; any burdensome possession. [Slang]

WordNet Word definitions in WordNet
n. a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive albinic Indian elephant; rare and sometimes venerated in east Asia

Wiktionary Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 An albino elephant. 2 (context idiomatic English) A possession that is unwanted or is a financial burden; an unprofitable investment.

Wikipedia Word definitions in Wikipedia
A white elephant is a possession which its owner cannot dispose of and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. The term derives from the story that the kings of Siam, now Thailand , were accustomed to make a ...

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Word definitions in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
noun EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES ▪ The dam has become something of a white elephant . EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS ▪ Cake and white elephant stalls plus a grand prize draw. ▪ More spaces are needed at less cost not another white elephant office block. ▪ Saracen ...

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary Word definitions in Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
"burdensome charge, inconvenient thing that one does not know how to get rid of," 1851, supposedly from the practice of the King of Siam of presenting one of the sacred albino elephants to a courtier who had fallen from favor; the gift was a great honor, ...