old wives' tale

American  

noun

1. a traditional belief, story, or idea that is often of a superstitious nature.

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old wives' tale British  

noun

1. a belief, usually superstitious or erroneous, passed on by word of mouth as a piece of traditional wisdom

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old wives' tale Idioms  

1. A superstition, as in Toads cause warts? That's an old wives' tale. This expression was already known in ancient Greece, and a version in English was recorded in 1387. Despite invoking bigoted stereotypes of women and old people, it survives.

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Etymology

Origin of old wives' tale

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

I knew this to be an old wives' tale, a myth.

From Literature

“I thought the idea that the Xi don’t like iron was only an old wives’ tale.

From Literature

“Don’t worry, mi niña, that’s an old wives’ tale.

From Literature

“A nervous breakdown. I dislike that expression, it has a very old wives’ tale vibe to it.

From Literature

A new study has an answer: old wives’ tale.

From New York Times