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

Before leaving the podium, Harabedian recalled an old wives’ tale that he said would be familiar to anyone raised at the edge of the San Gabriel Mountains.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2025

Its government said that there were "no border violations by Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters", and described the accusation as an "old wives' tale".

From BBC • Aug. 10, 2023

Q: Hot water worked to get rid of my plantar warts after three years of trying every other medical approach and old wives’ tale known to man.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 8, 2022

Then I read a trick that sounded like it had to be an old wives' tale: Stick a piece of bread in your mouth.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2022

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

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie