snake oil

noun

1. (medicine) any of various liquids sold as medicine (as by a travelling medicine show) but medically worthless (Freq. 1)

• Topics: ↑medicine, ↑medical specialty

• Hypernyms: ↑liquid

2. communication (written or spoken) intended to deceive

• Syn: ↑humbug

• Hypernyms: ↑misrepresentation, ↑deceit, ↑deception

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I. noun

: any of various substances or mixtures sold (as by a traveling medicine show) as medicine usually without regard to their medical worth or properties

II. noun

: poppycock : bunkum

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—snake-oil, adj.

1. any of various liquid concoctions of questionable medical value sold as an all-purpose curative, esp. by traveling hucksters.

2. Slang. deceptive talk or actions; hooey; bunkum: The governor promised to lower taxes, but it was the same old snake oil.

[1925-30, Amer.]

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snake oil UK US noun [uncountable] mainly american informal

something useless that someone tries to sell you or make you believe is good

Thesaurus: something that is silly or useless_synonym

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snake oil,

U.S. any one of various preparations advertised as medicine supposed to cure certain ailments, such as rheumatism, colds, or baldness, formerly sold by peddlers posing as scientists, doctors, or the like.

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n. informal a substance with no real medicinal value sold as a remedy for all diseases

some kelp products are snake oil, but the good ones promote plant growth | figurative the president's foreign policy is snake oil

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noun [noncount]

chiefly US informal + disapproving : something that is sold as medicine but that is not really useful or helpful in any way

snake oil remedies

— often used figuratively

He thinks politicians are just a bunch of snake oil salesmen. [=dishonest people]

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ˈsnake oil 7 [snake oil] noun uncountable (informal, especially NAmE)

something, for example medicine, that sb tries to sell you, but that is not effective or useful

•

a snake-oil salesman