old saw

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old saw

Where it comes from

From Middle English olde sawe, old sawe, equivalent to old + saw (“a saying or proverb”).

noun old saws

idiomatic A cliché, saying, or overused expression, especially a proverb or maxim. He's full of old saws, but he's not much for original advice.
Similar: old chestnut, byword, saying, adage, saw, proverb, maxim, apothegm, apophthegm, dictum, gnome, gnomic saying

Translations

Every language

noun old saying, conventional wisdom, often based in superstitions

Français	dicton, adage, expression éculée
Deutsch	Bauernregel, alter Spruch, olle Kamelle, alter Hut

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MLA

"old saw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/old%20saw. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

old saw. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/old%20saw

Chicago

"old saw." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/old%20saw.

BibTeX

@misc{old_saw_2026,
  title = {old saw},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/old%20saw},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}