Salz in die Wunde streuen
Meaning: To deliberately make someone's pain or humiliation worse.
Language: German
Literally: to strew salt in the wound
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Salt was historically a substance that stung on open wounds, making the literal image of cruelty vivid and painful.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- vor den Kopf stoßen — To offend or affront someone.
- den Geist aufgeben — to die, or to cease functioning.
- um ein Haar — by the narrowest possible margin; almost not.
- aus dem Handgelenk — done with ease and without much effort or advance preparation; offhand.
- feucht hinter den Ohren — Young, inexperienced, or naive.
- grün vor Neid — Consumed with jealousy or envious feeling.
More German idioms
- die Suppe versalzen — To ruin a plan or situation through careless excess.
- sich die Hörner abstoßen — To shed youthful recklessness and settle into maturity.
- auf dem Damm — In good health and spirits, recovered from illness or hardship.
- aus dem Off — to speak or act without drawing attention to oneself, anonymously or from the background.
- etwas auf die lange Bank schieben — to postpone or delay something indefinitely.
- in die Quere kommen — to interfere with someone, to get in the way or obstruct.
From our untranslatable words
- Backpfeifengesicht — A face that is just begging to be slapped — someone so smug you can't help the urge.
- Schadenfreude — The guilty little pleasure of taking satisfaction in someone else's misfortune.
- Fernweh — An aching longing for far-off places you've never been — the opposite of homesickness.