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Where did the phrase 'white elephant' come from?
When was a white elephant invented?
Where did the term 'White Elephant Party' come from?
Why is Uganda called a white elephant?
What's the meaning of the phrase 'A white elephant'? Originally ‘white elephants’ were simply that – elephants that were white. Later, the expression came to mean ‘a burdensome possession – one that is more trouble than it is worth’.
Apr 26, 2021 · The origins of the phrase come from Siam (modern-day Thailand). White or very pale elephants were so highly prized that when one was discovered, it immediately became the possession of the King. Such was the reverence held for the animal in Siam that it appeared on the nation’s flag until 1917.
White elephant. Meaning. An object that appears magnificent but which is a burdensome financial liability. Examples. The Empire State Building was a remarkable achievement but, for years after it was built, it had few tenants and was really a white elephant for its developers. Where did it originate?
The British East Africa Company came to regard Uganda as a white elephant when internal conflict made administration of the territory impossible. The term derives from the sacred white elephants kept by Southeast Asian monarchs in Burma, Thailand (Siam), Laos and Cambodia. [2]
Nov 29, 2019 · The term white elephant party first appeared in a joke published in 1907 in Nebraska's The Columbus Journal, according to blogger Peter Jensen Brown.
By the mid-19th century, a white elephant had become an English idiom for an unwanted, burdensome possession that was more trouble than it was worth. White elephant Origin and History - White or albino elephants were, and still are, venerated in many Asian countries, especially Siam (now Thailand).
Origin. The phrase comes from Thailand (or Siam as it was known then). White or nearly white elephants were extremely prized and revered so, became the King’s possession when they were discovered. They even appeared on the national flag until 1917.
