quacksalver
Fraudulent medicine peddler
A quacksalver is a person who fraudulently claims medical knowledge, peddling dubious remedies or cures.
The word is old-fashioned and literary, largely replaced by its shortened form *quack*.
Both terms suggest someone hawking worthless treatments with bold, dishonest salesmanship: The town square attracted quacksalvers promising miracle elixirs.
Traveling seller of fake remedies
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
- fakerOne who pretends
- pretenderIllegitimate claimant to power
- shamFraudulent imitation
phony · fraud · huckster · conman · grifter · trickster · deceiver · flimflammer
Traveling seller of fake remedies
- barber-surgeonPre-modern medical practitioner
- plague doctorEpidemic-treating masked physician
- patent medicineTrademarked unproven remedy
- medicine showTraveling sales entertainment fraud
apothecary · leech · sawbones · physic
Unproven pet remedy
- elixirMythical healing draught
- potionEnchanted liquid mixture
- snake oilFraudulent cure-all
- tonicInvigorating medicinal drink
cure-all · patent medicine · panacea · balm · liniment · tincture · physic · miracle cure
Fraudulent cure-all
- duperyCalculated misleading of another
- impostureDeception through false identity
- charlatanismFraudulent claim to skill
- humbugFalse talk or pretense
chicanery · trickery · sham · hoax · misrepresentation · false claims · pseudoscience · puffery
mountebank
Traveling seller of fake remedies
sham · phony · fraud · huckster · conman · grifter · trickster · deceiver · flimflammer · hustler
mountebank
Traveling seller of fake remedies
- barber-surgeonPre-modern medical practitioner
- plague doctorEpidemic-treating masked physician
- patent medicineTrademarked unproven remedy
medicine show · apothecary · leech · sawbones · physic
nostrum
Unproven pet remedy
tonic · cure-all · patent medicine · panacea · balm · liniment · tincture · physic · miracle cure · wonder drug
snake oil
Fraudulent cure-all
- duperyCalculated misleading of another
- impostureDeception through false identity
- charlatanismFraudulent claim to skill
humbug · chicanery · trickery · sham · hoax · misrepresentation · false claims · pseudoscience · puffery · hokum
quacksalverexpert
Highly skilled practitioner
authority · specialist · master · virtuoso · professional