white

(as) white as a sheet (of a person) very pale, especially from shock.

big white chief: seechief.

bleed someone white: see bleed someone dry atbleed.

in black and white: seeblack.

men in white coats: seeman.

show the white feather appear cowardly. British dated

☞ A white feather in a game bird's tail was considered to be an indication of bad breeding.

swear black is white: seeswear.

a white elephant a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.

☞ In former times, the rare albino elephant was regarded as holy. It was highly prized by the kings of Siam (now Thailand), and its upkeep was extremely expensive. It was apparently the practice for a king of Siam to give one of the elephants to a courtier they disliked: the unfortunate recipient would usually be financially ruined by the attempt to maintain the animal.

white hat: see black hat athat.

white hope a person expected to bring much success to a team or organization.

☞ The expression originated in the USA in the 1910s as an epithet applied to a white heavyweight boxer who it was hoped (by whites) might beat Jack Johnson, the first black boxer to hold the world heavyweight title (1908–15). Its racial connotations make it prudent nowadays to avoid it.

1941Lord BernersFar from the Madding War He was a composer: the white hope (so a critic had described him) of English music.

a white knight a company that makes a welcome bid for a company facing an unwelcome takeover bid.

☞ The image here is of the traditional figure from chivalric romances, who rides to the rescue of someone in danger. See also a knight in shining armour atknight.

the white man's burden: seeburden.