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Burdensome possession
Answer for the clue "Burdensome possession ", 14 letters:
white elephant
Alternative clues for the word white elephant
Word definitions for white elephant in dictionaries
Wikipedia
Word definitions in Wikipedia
A white elephant (also albino elephant ) is a rare kind of elephant , but not a distinct species. Although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet. They have fair eyelashes and toenails. The ...
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
White \White\ (hw[imac]t), a. [Compar. Whiter (hw[imac]t"[~e]r); superl. Whitest .] [OE. whit, AS. hw[imac]t; akin to OFries. and OS. hw[=i]t, D. wit, G. weiss, OHG. w[=i]z, hw[=i]z, Icel. hv[=i]tr, Sw. hvit, Dan. hvid, Goth. hweits, Lith. szveisti, to ...
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.
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, ...
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. a valuable possession whose upkeep is excessively expensive albinic Indian elephant; rare and sometimes venerated in east Asia
Usage examples of white elephant.
Finally, in desperation, the agency turned to the American Thermogen Corporation of Whitman, Massachusetts, for construction of what came to be known as White Elephant No.
For example, there is the Buddhist pious tale of the case of King Vessantara, who was asked by a neighboring monarch for the loan of his imperial white elephant.
There was a white elephant at the New Wash facility, and it cost a fantastic amount to maintain it, for elephants are not native to space.