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 elephant provides nothing to the owner other than the honor of owning it, yet it still eats and takes work to maintain. The parallel in the sale is that the items are of no use to those selling them but at the same time retain some value. In the case of a "White Elephant Sale" the value is for the new owner. In the case of a royal White Elephant in Thailand, it is for the honor bestowed by the king upon the owner.
Read more about this topic: White Elephant Sale
Famous quotes containing the words term and/or origin:
“The term clinical depression finds its way into too many conversations these days. One has a sense that a catastrophe has occurred in the psychic landscape.”
—Leonard Cohen (b. 1934)
“Good resolutions are useless attempts to interfere with scientific laws. Their origin is pure vanity. Their result is absolutely nil. They give us, now and then, some of those luxurious sterile emotions that have a certain charm for the weak.... They are simply cheques that men draw on a bank where they have no account.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)