Slithering on to 'snake oil', it originally referred to fraudulent health products and unproven medicine. The term comes from the old American practice of selling cure-all elixirs that were as effective as a chocolate teapot. Today, the term snake oil is used to describe deceptive marketing, health care fraud or a scam. Its meaning has also broadened to refer to insincere, deceptive talk. A snake oil salesman is someone who pushes or promotes quack remedies or other fraudulent items.
