Teach Time Encyclopedia - Learn About Our World
Home Page
Teach Time
Featured Topics

United States
by state

CITYology

Academic Disciplines

Historical Timelines

Themed Timelines

Calendars

Reference Tables

Biographies

How-tos



Friday, September 05, 2008

Old wives' tale

An old wives' tale is a wisdom much like an urban legend, supposedly passed down by old wives to a younger generation. Today old wives' tales are also common among children's peer sex education in school playgrounds. Old wives' tales often concern pregnancy, puberty and nutrition.

Some old wives' tales are true, and those that aren't often have roots in truth or are used to trick people into doing something.

Table of contents
1 Common Old Wives' Tales

Common Old Wives' Tales

Eating carrots improves your vision

half-truth

Carrots do contain vitamin A, which helps to maintain healthy vision, but they don't contain enough to make any significant difference. This tale started in the second world war when the British spread a rumour that their pilots were eating carrots to give them improved vision, concealing the truth about the invention of radar.

Having sex standing up is a contraceptive

false

This is an example of an old wives' tale in peer sex education. It may seem somewhat logical to a virgin but is not true as sperm and the vagina can defy gravity.

Chocolate causes acne

false

Chocolate does not cause acne, in fact there is little evidence that one's diet effects acne at all. This is an example of an old wives' tale used to discourage something (the large quantities for chocolate some children eat is unhealthy in other ways) by associating it with something that people are afraid of.



Internet Hotel Solutions

Site Sponsors
AC Units
Baltimore Harbor
Boot Camp Grads
Bra Size
Burkittsville
College Hotels
Digital Harbor
Free Cell Phones
Golden Hare Travel
Golf Vacations
Golf Courses
Gourmet
Hair Styles
Hippodrome
iWoman
Lesson Plans
Maryland Hotels
MD Genealogy
Minor League Stuff
Motel Site
Ocean City
OC Real Estate
Old Agers
Office Supplies
Orlando
Pet Friendly Hotel
Room Prices
Savannah, GA
Ski Vacations
South Baltimore
Student Teaching
Travel Sources
University Hotels
Visit Military Bases
Washington, DC

Brought to you by NoChildLeftBehind.com and the Beaches and Towns Network, LLC.