# Old Wives Tales **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200 "2008-12-30T11:25:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/1 "2008-12-30T11:25:22Z")
There must be hundreds of them. Eating cheese late at night will cause you to have nightmares The water that has had eggs boiled in it will give you warts Masturbation sends you blind/causes hairs to grow on the palm of your hand;) Touching a toad will also cause warts A cleft chin…devil within Small nose, small dick?..oh wait, that could be right. Any more? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/2 "2008-12-30T11:43:47Z")
Big feet, big dick Wait an hour after eating before you go into the water ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/3 "2008-12-30T12:40:02Z")
My paternal grandmother told my mother not to let me look in a mirror as a baby or I’d become crosseyed. She also told her not to clip my fingernails with scissors or I’d turn into a thief. (Guess she was supposed to chew them off?) Burning ears = someone talking about you Itchy palm = you’re about to come into money Eating crusts of bread will give you curly hair. (maybe that’s just how my grandmother got my mother to eat the crusts…) ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/4 "2008-12-30T12:48:44Z")
Don’t wash your hair when you’re menstruating or you’ll end up in an insane asylum. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/5 "2008-12-30T13:44:57Z")
…and stop sitting to close to the TV, you’ll go blind ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/6 "2008-12-30T13:46:39Z")
[quote=“FairyChatMom, post:3, topic:479200”] Itchy palm = you’re about to come into money QUOTE] That’s your right hand only. I(f your left hand itches it means you’re going to get a huge bill ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/7 "2008-12-30T13:49:39Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > That’s your right hand only. I(f your left hand itches it means you’re going to get a huge bill And if your crotch itches, then you are about to see a doctor. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/8 "2008-12-30T14:07:12Z")
When your nose is itchy, it means someone is talking about you. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/9 "2008-12-30T14:10:01Z")
I thought that was when your ears burn someone is talking about you… Going out in the cold with wet hair will make you sick. _Germs_ make you sick! ---
**Author:** ![Sublata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Sublata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublata)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/10 "2008-12-30T14:19:12Z")
My maternal grandmother thought that one child stepping over another would cause the stepped-over child to stop growing. ---
**Author:** ![truthbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@truthbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthbot)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/11 "2008-12-30T18:51:55Z")
Cats suck the breath out of babies. Straight from my former MIL, the fount of Arkansas wisdom. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/12 "2008-12-30T18:56:53Z")
It;s bad luck to put a hat on a table ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/13 "2008-12-30T19:05:21Z")
Itchy nose = company’s coming Raising your hands while pregnant will wrap the cord around the baby’s neck. Getting burned while pregnant will leave a birthmark on the baby. Heartburn = dark hair/lots of hair on the baby. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/14 "2008-12-30T19:07:19Z")
Your Grandfather has wandered off and nobody has seen him for a week. Such a card, my Grandma. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/15 "2008-12-30T19:13:11Z")
Here’s the one I still get told by ma and it makes me want to scream. Rub bacon on that wart to get rid of it. It works. I hear this anytime somebody has a wart she thinks she can cure. They’d sell bacon as a wart remedy instead of acids or burning it off at the doctor’s office. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/16 "2008-12-30T19:16:40Z")
Asia: Fans running in a room suck out all the oxygen and you will suffocate. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/17 "2008-12-30T19:20:34Z")
Itchy nose: You’re about to kiss/be kissed by a fool ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/18 "2008-12-30T19:23:14Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Itchy palm = you’re about to come into money **My** grandma told me that if you dream of shit you’re about to come into money. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/19 "2008-12-30T19:28:13Z")
Killing a spider (inside?) will make it rain the next day. You should never give a wallet or a purse without putting at least a penny in it. If you see only one crow, it means you are going to have bad luck. You can negate this by greeting the crow though, “Hello, Mr. Bird!” ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200/20 "2008-12-30T19:30:53Z")
My grandmother always said that an itchy nose meant you were going to have a fight or kiss a fool. Of course for her, it was usually both, and always the same person, and happened every day whether her nose itched or not. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-wives-tales/479200.md?page=2)