snake oil
Americannoun
-
any of various liquid concoctions of questionable medical value sold as an all-purpose curative, especially by traveling hucksters.
-
Slang. deceptive talk or actions; hooey; bunkum.
The governor promised to lower taxes, but it was the same old snake oil.
Other Word Forms
- snake-oil adjective
Etymology
Origin of snake oil
An Americanism dating back to 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The trade would feature prominently in American advertising for decades to come, as did pitches for often-dubious cures known as patent medicine—the proverbial snake oil.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Paltrow’s not a snake oil saleswoman — at least to me.
From Salon • Dec. 22, 2025
On her website, she lists four red flags to watch for on snake oil products: claims with no supporting medical evidence, lack of peer review on scientific data, manipulation of emotions and celebrity endorsements.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2023
But it’s not like personalized medicine is astrology or snake oil.
From Scientific American • Sep. 28, 2023
Two weeks after her burial, Rose’s husband arrived loaded with ingots of gold for the children, two-dollar pieces for the women and snake oil for the men.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
