Bubbe-meise
BUB-eh MY-seh • Noun
בובע־מעשׂה
An old wives' tale, silly superstition, or absolute nonsense story.
Literally a 'grandmother's story.' Used to instantly dismiss bad advice, health myths, or ridiculous rumors that people treat as gospel.
Say 'Bub-eh' (like grandmother) and 'My-seh' (rhymes with 'rice' + 'uh'). Let a wave of skepticism carry the pronunciation.
Standard YIVO transliteration: bobe-mayse
Etymology: Not literally 'grandmother's tale.' Traces to the 16th-c. Bovo-Bukh — a chivalric romance — mispronounced across generations from bovo-mayse into bobe-mayse.
"Don't tell me that sitting on cold concrete will freeze my kidneys—that's a total bubbe-meise."
"The rumor that the algorithm will shadowban you for using too many emojis is just an industry bubbe-meise."