To take with a pinch of salt

Meaning: To regard a claim with healthy scepticism.

Language: English

Literally: To take with a pinch of salt

Category: Food & Drink

Origin: From antiquity, where a grain of salt was added to suspect food — or dubious news — to make it easier to swallow.

More idioms — Food & Drink

• To butter someone up — To flatter someone to win their favour.
• Das ist nicht das Gelbe vom Ei — It's not ideal; not quite good enough.
• Alles in Butter — Everything is fine and under control.
• Jemandem auf den Keks gehen — To get on someone's nerves.
• Estar frito — To be fed up or worn out.
• Tener la sartén por el mango — To be the one in control.

More English idioms

• To let off steam — To release pent-up emotion or stress.
• To face the music — To confront the unpleasant consequences of your actions.
• To add insult to injury — To make a bad situation worse by a further offence.
• Russian roulette — Any high-risk activity undertaken needlessly, where disaster may strike without warning.
• pull back the curtain — To expose a hidden truth or reality behind an appearance.
• present company excepted — These remarks do not apply to anyone currently present in this conversation.

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