snake oil
The term "snake oil" originates from the 19th-century practice of selling fake medicinal products, supposedly made from snake fat, often by traveling salesmen in the United States.
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Definition
C1General
(idiomatic)A product marketed with exaggerated claims but lacking real effectiveness.
Example
- The new diet supplement turned out to be just snake oil.
C1Marketing
(idiomatic)Deceptive tactics used to promote a worthless product.
Example
- The infomercial was full of snake oil promises.
C1Historical
(historical)A 19th-century remedy sold in the U.S., falsely claimed to contain medicinal snake fat.
Example
- Traveling salesmen in the 1800s often sold snake oil as a cure-all.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "snake oil":
snake vinesnake outsnake dancesnake eyesbanana oilsnake beansnake pitwater snakegreen snakesnake cactussnow snakesand snakesnake gourd