White Elephant Sale - Term Origin Term Origin The "White Elephant" part of this term came from the nature of owning a white elephant in the Asian country of Siam (modern day Thailand). To this day when an albino
Albinism
An inherited disorder that presents with little or no melanin production.
What are some good gifts for a White Elephant Party?
White elephant gifts for $50 and under
- Baked by Melissa 25-piece holiday box, $37. Bite-size cupcakes make for a full-size festive gift. ...
- S’well Calacatta Gold cocktail shaker set, $40. We hope your friends like their gifts shaken, not stirred. ...
- Gravity sleep mask, $40. Give the gift of a good night’s sleep and you will be the favorite friend in your gifting group. ...
- Happy Socks 4-pack, $48. ...
What are some fun white elephant gifts?
15 Fun White Elephant Gifts for Under $25
- Tiny mic. Price: $6.99 Popularized by the rise of talking head TikTok in recent years, there’s no better way for your colleague or bestie to sing their heart out or ...
- Mushroom growing kit. ...
- Kewpie mayo. ...
- Squatty Potty. ...
- Sunset lamp projector. ...
- Tortilla throw blanket. ...
- Bacon scented candle. ...
- Scalp scrubber. ...
- Chrome fortune cookie. ...
- Indoor herb garden kit. ...
What are good white elephant ideas?
What would be a good white elephant gift?
- Breakfast Sandwich Maker.
- Snoop Dog Cookbook.
- Pizza Socks.
- Air Popper.
- Microwave Smores Maker.
- Fun Ramen Bowl.
- Voodoo Doll.
- Master Crapsman.
What does it mean to be a white elephant?
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth. What is a white elephant called? A white elephant (also albino elephant) is a rare kind of elephant, but not a distinct species.
Why is white elephant offensive?
In Thai and Buddhist cultures, white elephants ― which are not snow white but rather more ruddy-colored or pinkish ― have a sacred quality. According to the legend, those who received these special gifts could not refuse them, and to make matters worse, they were not allowed to put the sacred animals to work.
Where did white elephant gift originate?
Thailand1) The origins of White Elephant giving come from Siam (now known as Thailand). White elephants were considered to be so sacred that any discovered became the immediate ownership of the king. 2) Because these elephants were so valuable, they weren't allowed to be worked.
When was the term white elephant first used?
The first reference in English to the idiomatic meaning of the term 'white elephant' comes in 1851 G. E. Jewbury's Letters, 1892: "His services are like so many white elephants, of which nobody can make use, and yet that drain one's gratitude, if indeed one does not feel bankrupt."
What does white elephant mean in business?
A white elephant is something whose cost of upkeep is not in line with its usefulness or value. From an investment perspective, the term refers to an asset, property, or business that is so expensive to operate and maintain that it is extremely difficult to actually make a profit from it.
What is a white elephant a symbol of?
The white elephant is a symbol of gentleness, majesty, protection, and purity. As well as being considered a symbol of success and a calm mind. The historic symbolism of the white elephant is related to fertility, and many cultures perform rituals around these gentle giants.
What's another term for white elephant?
In this page you can discover 11 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for white-elephant, like: junk, more trouble than it's worth, burthen, onus, worthless object, clutter, outmoded object, heirloom, albatross, ball-and-chain and burden.
What is the meaning of a pink elephant?
drunken hallucination"Seeing pink elephants" is a euphemism for drunken hallucination caused by alcoholic hallucinosis or delirium tremens. The term dates back to at least the early 20th century, emerging from earlier idioms about snakes and other creatures.
What's the difference between white elephant and Dirty Santa?
It is called Dirty because it encourages you to ruthlessly STEAL gifts from each other. What is this? Dirty Santa tends to be more popular in the South and White Elephant is not tied to a specific region. Because both gift exchange games are played in a similar way, it is easy to see how the lines have blurred.
What is an example of a white elephant project?
Ryugyong Hotel (North Korea) The Ryugyong Hotel is arguably North Korea best known white elephant project. Ryugyong Hotel is a pyramid-shaped skyscraper situated in Pyongyang, North Korea and is the tallest building in the city, with a topped-out height of 1,082 feet.
Who goes first in white elephant?
The White Elephant Game Rules Sit in a circle and place the gifts in the center, preferably under a festive tree. The person who drew #1 selects a gift from the pile, opens it, and holds it up for all to see.
How do you use white elephant in a sentence?
He invested his savings in the business and it's turned into a white elephant. Soon, I realised that the old car was difficult to maintain and it was like a white elephant. China's most powerful supercomputer is simply a white elephant.
Is a white elephant good luck?
White elephants are considered very auspicious. It is said that the Buddha's mother dreamt of a white elephant, before she gave birth to him. Elephants are a particularly powerful image of prosperity and royalty. Elephants are also connected to grey rain clouds, to bring bountiful harvests.
Is there such a thing as a white elephant?
A white elephant (also albino elephant) is a rare kind of elephant, but not a distinct species. In Hindu puranas, the god Indra has a white elephant. 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.
What is a white elephant sale?
A white elephant sale is the sale of items which are considered as having no intrinsic value and of little use. Such items are also known as white elephants. White elephant sales are popular in the United States where they are usually organized by non-profit organizations ...
Who owned the white elephant?
Only the extremely wealthy individuals in a kingdom were able to own a white elephant and in most cases, only the monarch owned these animals. While ownership of a white elephant commanded great respect in the kingdom, the owners of these animals had to incur great expenses to maintain the elephants which required huge amounts of forage.
What was the elephant that Barnum bought?
Barnum acquired the elephant from the King of Siam at a huge cost but was disappointed to discover that instead of the elephant being white in color, it was actually grey with pink spots.
What is the most popular white elephant in Detroit?
The most popular white elephant in Detroit is a tram system which encircles the city’s downtown region known as the Detroit People Mover. The idea of establishing a tram system in Detroit was conceived in the 1960s as the city’s administration looked for a fast and reliable form of transport to alternate with the existing road transport. Construction of the tram system was marred with financial cutbacks from the federal government but was finally completed in 1987 and was expected to handle about 65,000 passengers each day. However, the tram system ended up being a white elephant project as daily commuter numbers reached only 6,000 passengers. The project also proved not to be cost-effective, with the cost per passenger mile in the tram system being about $3, a high figure when compared to the $0.82 in Detroit buses.
When was the term "white elephant" first used?
The term was first used in Europe in reference to an unsustainable project in the 17th century. However, some historians believe P.T. Barnum was first to coin the phrase in the late 19th century. P.T. Barnum was a 19th-century showman who was infamous for hoaxes in his Barnum and Bailey Circus. One of his exhibitions in the circus was a white elephant named Toung Taloung which he dubbed “the Sacred White Elephant of Burma.” Barnum acquired the elephant from the King of Siam at a huge cost but was disappointed to discover that instead of the elephant being white in color, it was actually grey with pink spots. Other historians credit Ezra Cornell as the person who introduced the phrase into popular lexicon in the early 19th century. The phrase enjoyed much use in the 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and is still popularly used in English-speaking countries.
What is a white elephant gift exchange?
Also known as a Yankee swap, a white elephant gift exchange is similar to a white elephant sale, except that the primary goal of a white elephant gift exchange is entertainment and not financial gain. Benjamin Elisha Sawe October 10 2017 in Economics. Home. Economics.
What is an example of a white elephant project?
The Detroit People Mover is said to be an example of a "white elephant project". Photo credit: Michael Urmann / Shutterstock.com.
What is a white elephant sale?
A white elephant sale is a type of sale similar to a garage sale or yard sale in which used items are sold by a non-professional group. Such sales are often fundraisers for non-profit groups, and members of the community can donate unused items for sale at the white elephant sale. The items themselves can range in quality and condition depending on what has been donated to the cause, and in many cases, many of the items are obsolete, broken, or otherwise not worth very much. In other cases, however, hard-to-find items may be present at the sale and be sought after by many buyers.
Why is the White Elephant Sale so popular?
As a fundraising tool, the white elephant sale is exceptionally popular, though it was even more popular before the days of online auction sites and message boards. People within a certain community could get rid of items that were no longer useful to them, and buyers could find old, antique, or obsolete items that may be of particular interest to them. The white elephant sale is often seen as an effective fundraiser, but also as an effective tool for encouraging community interaction. The sale is often promoted as a fun event for the family.
What are the disadvantages of white elephant sales?
Some of the disadvantages to the white elephant sale include the quality of the items, the low profits, and the space required to run the sale. The quality of the items sold at the white elephant sale depends entirely on what is donated to the cause; some people may donate items just to get rid of them, and the items themselves may not even be in usable condition. In other situations, the items may be quite valuable, but the person donating the item may simply have no use for it. White elephant sales may procure a decent profit, though this is certainly not guaranteed, and profits must be measured against the costs of running the sale. Many sales run for several days, and they take up a fair amount of space that must sometimes be rented, so overall profits after expenses can be quite low.
Can you donate unworn clothing to a white elephant sale?
Members of a community can donate unworn clothing to be sold at a white elephant sale.
What is white elephant?
Basically white elephant is chaos on ice , which can either result in beautiful pandemonium or that incredibly sad episode of The Office where white elephant basically pulverized the emotional stability out of Jim and stopped him from declaring his love for Pam an entire season ahead of time. What is nice about white elephant is that it is often a great icebreaker if you're inviting several friend groups or a large office of people who don't always work together, and takes all the pressure off of holiday shopping and brings back all of the hilarity.
What is the significance of white elephants?
White elephants became gifts of significant honor among people of importance —but like all good things, they came with a price.
Why are white elephants forbidden?
As a result of their sanctity, white elephants were forbidden from performing any kind of manual labor. So basically anytime you got a white elephant, you got this really pretty, difficult-to-maintain, ginormous animal that couldn't do anything for you in return.
