an old idea, principle or phrase that is no longer accepted by many people as important or appropriate to modern life 过时的观点；陈旧的原则；陈词滥调 the crumbling of old political shibboleths 旧政治陈词滥调的瓦解
a custom, word, etc. that distinguishes one group of people from another 某群体特有的习惯（或用语等）
Word OriginFrom a Hebrew word meaning ‘ear of corn’. In the Bible story, Jephthah, the leader of the Gileadites, was able to use it as a test to tell which were his own men, because others found the ‘sh’ sound difficult to pronounce.