Old Wives' Tale

Etymology:

• The origin of this idiom dates back to around 300 B.C. This expression was first used by a famous Greek philosopher by the name of Plato. Many scholars like Erasmus then used the expression in their writings in the 16th century. The idiom “old wives” demonstrates the nature of people who always based their advised on some superstition. Some of the examples of the superstitious tales are “don’t touch a frog or you’ll get warts”, “it is bad luck to walk under a ladder” and “feed a cold and starve a fever,” All these superstitions make no sense in the present world.