not worth your salt

Meaning: incompetent; not deserving of wages or respect.

Language: English

Literally: not worth your salt

Category: Food & Drink

Origin: Roman soldiers were partly paid in salt; worthless soldiers didn't earn their salt ration.

More idioms — Food & Drink

• bring home the bacon — to provide income; to succeed in earning money.
• a storm in a teacup — excessive fuss over something trivial; tempest in a teapot.
• cry over spilled milk — to regret something past; useless to grieve over unchangeable events.
• hard pill to swallow — difficult to accept; unpleasant truth or reality.
• Hair of the dog — A morning drink taken to cure a hangover.
• Das ist mir Wurst — I couldn't care less either way.

More English idioms

• get your ducks in a row — to organize yourself; to prepare systematically.
• in a pig's eye — absolutely not; never; expressing strong disagreement.
• stick your oar in — to interfere in someone else's affairs; to meddle.
• lower your guard — to relax defenses; to become vulnerable.
• like a fish out of water — uncomfortable or awkward in a situation; out of one's element.
• have an axe to grind — to have a personal grievance; hidden motives behind actions.

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