fool's gold

American  

noun

1. iron or copper pyrites, sometimes mistaken for gold.

---

fool's gold British  

noun

1. any of various yellow minerals, esp pyrite or chalcopyrite, that can be mistaken for gold

---

fool's gold Scientific  

/ fo̅o̅lz /

1. Any of several minerals, especially pyrite and chalcopyrite, sometimes mistaken for gold.

---

Etymology

Origin of fool's gold

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

Example Sentences

Three weeks ago I wondered if the Lakers were the real deal or fool’s gold.

From Los Angeles Times

Looks like they were indeed fool’s gold.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was as if they were put in the ground on the day they were minted," Wells told Fool's Gold, a new BBC podcast examining the case.

From BBC

"There was this rumour going around, which means something important had been found, and the details were that someone's found a massive medieval coin hoard and there were at least 300 coins," Mr Reavill told Fool's Gold.

From BBC

“The You You Are” is self-help hackery rife with fool’s gold like, “A society with festering workers cannot flourish, just as a man with rotting toes cannot skip” encrusting bumper sticker calls for rebellion.

From Salon