白しろ象ぞう

noun

white elephant

Refers to an actual white elephant (an albino elephant), or metaphorically to a burdensome possession that is expensive to maintain and hard to dispose of. The metaphorical sense is common in English but less frequent in Japanese; the word is primarily used for the animal.

• タイでは白しろ象ぞうは神しん聖せいな動どう物ぶつとされている。

  In Thailand, white elephants are considered sacred animals.

• その巨きょ大だいな施し設せつは維い持じ費ひがかさむ白しろ象ぞうのようなものだ。

  That huge facility is like a white elephant, with high maintenance costs.