snake oil
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
[edit] English
[edit] Noun
- A traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain.
- 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.
- (idiomatic) A fraudulent, ineffective potion or nostrum; panacea.
- (idiomatic) Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.
