(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a well-known story which was made up in the past to explain natural events or to justify religious beliefs or social customs.
There is a famous Greek ~ in which Icarus flew too near to the Sun.
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2.
If you describe a belief or explanation as a ~, you mean that many people believe it but it is actually untrue.
Contrary to the popular ~, women are not reckless spendthrifts.
= fallacy
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