old wives' tale
noun
a traditional belief, story, or idea that is often of a superstitious nature.
Origin of old wives' tale
First recorded in 1670–80
Words nearby old wives' tale
old testament,
old turkic,
old welsh,
old west,
old wives' summer,
old wives' tale,
old woman,
old world,
old world leishmaniasis,
old world monkey,
old world scops owl
British Dictionary definitions for old wives' tale
old wives' tale
noun
a belief, usually superstitious or erroneous, passed on by word of mouth as a piece of traditional wisdom
Idioms and Phrases with old wives' tale
old wives' tale
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.