a grain of salt
Not to be taken literally, or to be taken with caution or extra common sense.Etymology is from the Latin phrase "
cum grano salis" (
with a grain of salt), and also the Italian phrase "avere sale in zucca" (to have salt in your
pumpkin (head)). In Italy to have salt in your head means to have intelligence or reasoning abilities.
grain of salt
by PLPK Fire on Apr 28, 2017 00:26:59
Example:
Peter:
I read somewhere that we're going to war with
North Korea!!
Mom: Where did you hear that from?
Peter: Someone commented on my Facebook post
Mom: It was probably sarcasm that you clearly missed on. There is definitely tension between the US and North Korea but not enough to go into War over. Take what they said
with a grain of salt.
with a grain of salt
by philihp on Sep 24, 2004 21:19:20
with a grain of salt
by mthomas1776 on Oct 12, 2007 02:33:25
When qualifying advice: For example your mother is always cold and thinks that you will be too. Therefore she always tells you to take a jacket with you. Perhaps she gets cold easily and you do not. If you want to
communicate this different
subjective preference, use this phrase.
Take it with a grain of salt
by ATOMINE on Jul 15, 2017 10:02:57
take with a grain of salt
by _INT_ on Apr 05, 2015 05:36:57
To take a statement with 'a
grain of salt' or 'a
pinch of salt' means to accept it but to maintain a degree of
skepticism about its truth.
Example:
The idea comes from the
fact that food is more easily
swallowed if taken with a small amount of
salt. (take with a grain of salt)
taken with a grain of salt
by rach131 on Mar 13, 2015 11:45:36
a grain of salt
by 请关注公众号：英文口语专家 on Jun 07, 2019 19:26:11
Grain of salt heart
by Pulsechain on Oct 20, 2022 02:54:14