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old wives' tale
old wives' talen. A superstitious or spurious belief belonging to traditional folklore.old wives' tale n a belief, usually superstitious or erroneous, passed on by word of mouth as a piece of traditional wisdom old′ wives'′ tale`
n. a traditional, often superstitious, belief or story. Thesaurus| Noun | 1. | old wives' tale - a bit of lore passed on by word of mouthlore, traditional knowledge - knowledge gained through tradition or anecdote; "early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend" |
Translationswife (waif) – plural wives (waivz) – noun the woman to whom one is married. Come and meet my wife; He is looking for a wife. 妻子 妻子old wives' tale a superstitious and misleading story. 無稽之談 无稽之谈，荒诞故事 ˈwife-battering noun the crime of beating one's own wife. 毆妻罪 殴打妻子罪
old wives' tale
old wives' taleA now-debunked story or idea that was once believed, often superstitiously. How can you believe in that old wives' tale? Oh, that's just an old wives' tale! A broken mirror does not guarantee seven years' bad luck.See also: old, taleold wives' taleFig. a myth or superstition. You really don't believe that stuff about starving a cold do you? It's just an old wives' tale.See also: old, taleold wives' taleA 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. See also: old, talean old wives' tale COMMON An old wives' tale is a belief that a lot of people have that is based on traditional ideas, often ones which have been proved to be incorrect. My mother used to tell me to feed a cold and starve a fever. Is it just an old wives' tale? It's not just an old wives' tale, you know, that full moons and madness go together.See also: old, talean old wives' tale a widely held traditional belief that is now thought to be unscientific or incorrect. The phrase (and its earlier variant old wives' fable ) is recorded from the early 16th century, with the earliest example being from Tyndale's translation of the Bible.See also: old, talean old ˈwives’ tale (disapproving) an old idea or belief that has proved not to be scientific: When you’re expecting a baby, people tell you all sorts of old wives’ tales. ♢ The belief that make-up ruins your skin is just an old wives’ tale.See also: old, taleold wives' taleA superstitious story. This term actually dates back to Plato, who repeated the phrase in a number of writings and was so cited by Erasmus. In English a version of it appeared in John Trevisa’s translation of Polycronicon, “And useth telynges as olde wifes dooth” (1387), and then began to be used frequently from the sixteenth century on. “These are trifles and mere old wives’ tales” wrote Christopher Marlowe in Doctor Faustus (ca. 1589). Arnold Bennett used it as the title of a novel (1908), and this sex-and age-biased cliché persists to the present day.See also: old, taleSee wife
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Words related to old wives' talenoun a bit of lore passed on by word of mouthRelated Words- lore
- traditional knowledge
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