white whale

US /waɪt weɪl/
UK /waɪt weɪl/
"white whale" picture
1.

ballena blanca, objetivo inalcanzable

a goal or object that is extremely difficult to find or achieve

:
Finding a cure for cancer has been the white whale of medical research.
Encontrar una cura para el cáncer ha sido la ballena blanca de la investigación médica.
For many archaeologists, discovering the lost city of Atlantis is their ultimate white whale.
Para muchos arqueólogos, descubrir la ciudad perdida de la Atlántida es su ballena blanca definitiva.