Book Review: Five Old Wives' Tales

An “Old wives' tale” is a traditional belief, piece of advice, or superstition passed down through generations that is usually unverified, unscientific, or completely false.

The “wife” in this term does not actually mean a married woman! “Wife” means “woman” in this context and stems from the Old English word wif, meaning woman. Very interesting!

How many of us have said, “Oh, it’s just an old wives' tale,” or maybe even repeated one or two ourselves?

Like: "Starve a fever, feed a cold.”

Okay, I admit I grew up believing this one was true and, yes, I actually said it to a doctor once. He looked at me as if I had completely lost my mind (I was serious) and said…YEP…that’s an old wives' tale. Lol!

Then there’s: "Carrying a baby low means it’s a boy; carrying high means it’s a girl.”

My pregnancy was high…and I had a boy! So much for that one. Lol!

And I know you’ll probably laugh when I say this, but another lady once held a pocket watch over my stomach while I was lying down. Depending on how it swung determined whether I was having a boy or girl. She said boy…and she was right!

Just coincidence…right? Lol!

Another one: "Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.”

Myth: the popping sound is simply gas bubbles releasing in the joint, not bone damage.

Okay, I am laughing as I write this because I JUST said this to my grandson! I even pulled up Google images of arthritic fingers and hands to prove my point!

This was a quick Audible collection from Lord Toph. The description calls it “a delightfully light collection of poetic literature to have as an accompaniment.”

Each tale is cleverly written and filled with wit, nostalgic in style with a contemporary twist relative to the times in which we live.

I agree! It’s funny, nostalgic, and a quick listen or read.

I even learned a new old wives' tale:

An itchy elbow means something good is coming your way. The more you need to scratch it, the more you’ll enjoy what’s coming.

Okay…I need itchy elbows AND an itchy palm! Lol!

What old wives’ tales did you grow up hearing?

The next time you’re at your local library—or browsing on Audible, Hoopla, Libby, Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play Books, YouTube Audiobooks, or even your favorite bookstore—check it out!

I’d love to hear what you think!