A white elephant
Idiom / PhraseSSC PYQ × 8Meaning
A costly but useless possession
हिंदी अर्थ
सफ़ेद हाथी पालना
Example sentences
That building was a white elephant for seven years.
A white elephant costs more to keep than to buy.
Daily use: Ye white elephant hai.
इन Exams में पूछा गयाAsked in
SSC CGL Pre 2024SSC CHSL Pre 2025SSC Exams before 2018CDS I 2023
Memory trick · Prashant Sir
सफ़ेद हाथी से काम नहीं ले सकते, पर खिलाने का ख़र्च बहुत भारी। इसलिए a white elephant = महँगी पर बेकार चीज़।
A white elephant was too precious to work and too costly to feed. So A WHITE ELEPHANT is a costly but useless possession.
Exam note
कई बार पूछा गया। Meaning: महँगी पर बेकार वस्तु। Related 'liability', 'onerous'; opposite 'asset', 'utilitarian'। GS link: Thailand।
Asked many times. It means a costly but useless possession; 'liability' and 'onerous' are related options, while 'asset' and 'utilitarian' are the opposites. GS link: Thailand.