snake oil

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

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Wikipedia

[edit] Noun

snake oil (uncountable)

1. Snake oil is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain.
2. A type of 19th century patent medicine sold in the United States that claimed to contain snake fat, supposedly a Native American remedy for various ailments.
3. (idiomatic) A fraudulent, ineffective potion or nostrum; panacea.
4. (idiomatic) Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.