white as whalebone
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
An old simile; whale- bone is far from white. Our forefathers seemed to confuse the walrus with the whale; and "white as whalebone" is really a blunder for 4 'white as walrus-ivory.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “white as whalebone” mean?
An old simile; whale- bone is far from white. Our forefathers seemed to confuse the walrus with the whale; and "white as whalebone" is really a blunder for 4 'white as walrus-ivory.
Is “white as whalebone” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.