wisdom

the conventional/received wisdom

knowledge or information that people generally believe is true, although in fact it is often false. The conventional wisdom is that marriage makes a relationship more secure, but as the divorce rates show, this is not necessarily true.

in his/her/their (infinite) wisdom (humorous)

something that you say when you do not understand why someone has done something and think that it was a stupid action. The council, in their wisdom, decided to close the library and now the building stands empty.

See also: her, his

a pearl of wisdom

an important piece of advice. Thank you for that pearl of wisdom, Jerry. Now do you think you could suggest something more useful?

See also: pearl

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in your/its (infinite) wisdom

using your or its knowledge or intelligence. The city government, in its wisdom, decided to close the library and now kids can't use it for research or just plain reading. When I said we needed a bigger house, my wife replied, in her infinite wisdom, that we did not have enough money.

Usage notes: usually used humorously to show that something was not based on great knowledge or intelligence, as in the examples