old wives' tale

n.
A superstitious belief or story belonging to traditional folklore.

A superstition, as in Toads cause warts? That's an old wives' tale. This expression was already known in ancient Greece, and a version in English was recorded in 1387. Despite invoking bigoted stereotypes of women and old people, it survives.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a bit of lore passed on by word of mouth

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