snake oil
noun
1
: any of various substances or mixtures sold (as by a traveling medicine show) as medicine usually without regard to their medical worth or properties
2
: poppycock, bunkum
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web There’s just one problem: There are hundreds of VPNs, and some of them are snake oil. 
Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 Woodruff, who didn’t come from privilege, sees himself as a craftsman and intellect in a field overrun with lofty academics and snake oil salesmen. New York Times, 9 July 2022 This is a story of snake oil charlatans and fake prophecies, of a beauty queen whose husbands keep ending up dead. Leah Sottile, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2022 The programs and procedures that the Supreme Court favored in 1998 amount to little more than managerial snake oil. Yasmin Dunn, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2022 Differentiating oneself from the snake oil and major flops can be nerve-racking. Dustin Snyder, Forbes, 16 May 2022 The world of hair loss treatments is vast and confusing, with a healthy dose of snake oil salesmen that are going to try to dupe you into wasting your money on stuff that doesn’t work. Garrett Munce, Men's Health, 22 Apr. 2022 In short, until the FDA approves stem cell treatments for other ailments, any company or doctor offering these treatments are likely selling snake oil. Taylyn Washington-harmon, Men's Health, 16 Mar. 2022 The agencies accused Andrew Martin Sinclair, who solely owns and operates B4B Earth Tea LLC, of selling snake oil and preying on vulnerable patients during a pandemic that has, to date, claimed the lives of more than 6 million people worldwide. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2022 See More
Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 15 July 2022 Woodruff, who didn’t come from privilege, sees himself as a craftsman and intellect in a field overrun with lofty academics and snake oil salesmen. New York Times, 9 July 2022 This is a story of snake oil charlatans and fake prophecies, of a beauty queen whose husbands keep ending up dead. Leah Sottile, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2022 The programs and procedures that the Supreme Court favored in 1998 amount to little more than managerial snake oil. Yasmin Dunn, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2022 Differentiating oneself from the snake oil and major flops can be nerve-racking. Dustin Snyder, Forbes, 16 May 2022 The world of hair loss treatments is vast and confusing, with a healthy dose of snake oil salesmen that are going to try to dupe you into wasting your money on stuff that doesn’t work. Garrett Munce, Men's Health, 22 Apr. 2022 In short, until the FDA approves stem cell treatments for other ailments, any company or doctor offering these treatments are likely selling snake oil. Taylyn Washington-harmon, Men's Health, 16 Mar. 2022 The agencies accused Andrew Martin Sinclair, who solely owns and operates B4B Earth Tea LLC, of selling snake oil and preying on vulnerable patients during a pandemic that has, to date, claimed the lives of more than 6 million people worldwide. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
snake oil
noun
: any of various substances or mixtures sold (as by a traveling medicine show) as medicine usually without having had the claims of their medical worth or properties substantiated by scientific tests