old wives' tale
Baseless traditional belief
An old wives' tale is a widely held belief or piece of advice, typically about health or domestic matters, that has no scientific basis.
The term implies the belief has been passed down through generations of women sharing folk wisdom—and that it probably isn't true.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis? That's just an old wives' tale.
Despite the dismissive connotation, some old wives' tales have turned out to contain genuine practical wisdom.
Traditional explanatory tale
- fallacyError in reasoning
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- misinformationFalse data spread unintentionally
- debunkedExposed as fraudulent
unproven · disproven · pseudoscience · false belief · urban legend · tall tale · unsubstantiated · baseless
Unverified traditional tale
- fableMoral tale with animals
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
- folk wisdomTraditional communal knowledge
storytelling · proverb · parable · mythology · folktale · anecdote · narrative · tradition
Treatment that heals
- treatmentCare for an ailment
- poulticeMoist healing application
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
- elixirMythical healing draught
concoction · herbal · home remedy · chicken soup · honey · garlic · ginger · vinegar
Prophetic indicator
- jinxCurse bringing misfortune
- charmAttractive personal quality
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
- curseInvoked harm through words
luck · hex · amulet · talisman · fortune-telling · astrology · black cat · broken mirror
Alert about danger
- lessonUnit of teaching
- moralConcerning right conduct
- adviceGuidance on decisions
- scare tacticIntimidation as persuasion
deterrent · admonition · guidance · precaution · forewarning · cracking knuckles · crossing eyes · hair of the dog
myth
Traditional explanatory tale
- fallacyError in reasoning
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
- misinformationFalse data spread unintentionally
debunked · unproven · disproven · pseudoscience · false belief · urban legend · tall tale · unsubstantiated · baseless · unfounded
legend
Unverified traditional tale
- fableMoral tale with animals
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- oral traditionCulture passed by speech
folk wisdom · storytelling · proverb · parable · mythology · folktale · anecdote · narrative · tradition · customs
cure
Treatment that heals
elixir · concoction · herbal · home remedy · chicken soup · honey · garlic · ginger · vinegar · mustard plaster
omen
Prophetic indicator
curse · luck · hex · amulet · talisman · fortune-telling · astrology · black cat · broken mirror · rabbit's foot
warning
Alert about danger
scare tactic · deterrent · admonition · guidance · precaution · forewarning · cracking knuckles · crossing eyes · hair of the dog
- folk wisdomproverb, folklore, folk sayings, saying, proverbs
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, folk tales, folktale
- beliefsbelief, beliefs, creed, creeds, faith
- Misconceptionsmisconception, myth, fallacy, false belief, mistaken belief
old wives' talescientific consensus
Prevailing expert judgment
medical advice · expert testimony · expert opinion · professional opinion · doctor's orders
fairy tale, telltale, wife's, taleteller, folk tale, talebearing, talebearer, wives', old wives' tales