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- DictionarySnake oil/ˈsnāk ˌoil/
noun
- 1. a substance with no real medicinal value sold as a remedy for all diseases. informal North American
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noun
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Snake oil is a term used to describe deceptive marketing, health care fraud, or a scam. Similarly, snake oil salesman is a common label used to describe someone who sells, promotes, or is a general proponent of some valueless or fraudulent cure, remedy, or solution. The term comes from the "snake oil" that used to be sold as a cure-all elixir for many kinds of physiological problems. Many 19th-cen... Wikipedia