What is the meaning of this?

Question

I came across a older slang statement in a vocabulary workbook (no answer key) of which one of the given answers was "white elephant". The other was "the bee's knees." I was curious if white elephant has a different meaning when referring to a situation? The only slang meaning I've ever heard it referred to was a human sacrifice for a Vondun ritual.
Any ideas?

Answer 1

White elephant has an interesting history. In India the white elephant is considered holy - something to do with a high level of reincarnation i think. If you gave a white elephant to someone, they would have to care for and feed the elephant - which is expensive. And you can't put it to work - it must be pampered.

Hence, if you wanted to make someone unhappy, you would give them a white elephant. This term slipped into holiday gift giving. A white elephant becomes something around your house that you don't want. Frequently something ugly or in some other way unwantable.

Bees Knees has absolutely nothing to do with bees or knees. Has to do with "business". In the 1920's, a person who was very desirable "the business". And just like today's slang "cool" becomes "kewl", the business becomes "the bees knees".

Answer 2

P.T. Barnum, who then owned "the greatest show on earth," heard of a sacred "white" elephant in India. He sent an agent to buy it sight unseen. When the animal arrived by ship in Bridgeport, CT, Barnum was horrified to see what the Indians considered to be a "white elephant" turned out to be covered with large pink splotches, and was not white at all. The paying public was not impressed and Barnum had to keep his "white elephant" hidden from public view in a stable. Thus the term "white elephant" came to mean something that was generally useless but too valuable (to the owner) to throw away. (By the way, the original "white elephant" later died when the stable caught fire.)

The bee's knees is actually a development from something that was originally stated as "The be all and the end all of everything." this being rather long, was shortened to "the B's and E's" which eventually became "the bee's knees"

Answer 3

"White elephant" is a very old fashioned term that means a large unwanted item like an unused lamp or something. Something you want to get rid of.

Answer 4

this link has a number of definitions of White elephant

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=white+elephant

good luck