old adage
Ancient piece of wisdom
An old adage is a traditional saying expressing a general truth or piece of wisdom, like the old adage about an apple a day.
The phrase is technically redundant—adage already implies age and long use—but the combination is so common that objecting to it seems pedantic.
As the old adage goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
- sayingShort, wise expression
- proverbTraditional saying expressing truth
- maximBrief moral principle
- wise wordsThoughtful, valuable guidance
- wisdomGood judgment from experience
words of wisdom · truth · grain of truth · timeless · ancient · cliché · truism · axiom · folk · folk wisdom · grandmother · passed down · sage · worn · familiar · common knowledge · tradition · expression
novelty/originality
old adagenew idea
Previously unconceived thought
original thought · breaking news · neologism · hot take · new perspective