Sekirov Dictionary

snake oil

noun 4
snake-oil verb 1
forms 3

noun4

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.
A fraudulent, ineffective potion or nostrum; panacea.
Any product with exaggerated marketing but questionable or unverifiable quality.
A traditional Chinese medicine used to treat joint pain.

snake-oil verb1

•
(informal) To dupe or con.
- And this is particularly so for many of our women students who have been hustled and snake-oiled to deny the validity of their intellects. — 1995

forms

snake-oiled · snake-oiling · snake-oils

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