snake oil

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A popular term for any substance claimed—without substantive evidence—to effectively treat one or more medical conditions

snake oil

A general informal term for a fraudulent PANACEA.

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References in periodicals archive ?

Detectives last night branded charity boss Joseph Mulcahy a "snake oil salesman" who cynically exploited the public to line his own pockets.

`Snake oil salesman'

It is up to Cameron show he is a potential prime minister and not just a media-savvy snake oil salesman.

Leadership test; RecordView

Pro-EU Labour MP Ian Murray said: "Nigel Farage has made himself rich as a snake oil salesman for Brexit.

'Man of the people' Farage earns PS500k in two years; Brexit leader's firm coining it in; EXCLUSIVE

He deferred to the younger and lesser man on the death of the great John Smith-oh how Labour needs him at this hour - choosing to believe the snake oil salesman's promise that he would make way in the second term.

How to find way back to the Gordon of Eden

The trouble is a lot of gullible people out there don't see Farage for the snake oil salesman he is.

Don't waste your votes on Farage; YOUR VOICE

Representing the east end of London now, I've become sceptical about snake oil salesman pitches about the lasting value of "sporting" hop, skip and jumps to urban regeneration.

Counting the cost; GLASGoW 2014 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

ONE of the great catastrophes of politics is that working people will pay the heaviest price for Brexit after being conned by lying charlatan Boris Johnson and snake oil salesman Nigel Farage.