Today, ‘to take something with a grain of salt’ is not a way of saying that something is an outright lie, but rather that it is exaggerated or only partly correct. But where does the expression come from?
There are many salt-related expressions in the English language, and in most other languages. The importance of salt in the ancient world gave rise to the expression worth your salt, for example. And, a very good and honest person might be called the salt of the earth. The expression ‘to take something with a grain of salt’ also it origin with the importance of salt.
Some scholars think that the phrase began in Roman times, coming from the Latin cum grano salis, attributed to Pliny the Elder. Pliny, in Natural History, from the first century BC, told a tale about Pompey who discovered a poison antidote that involved fasting and the addition of a grain of salt (addito salis grano). So, the modern idiom, according to this theory, came from the idea that a grain of salt protected one from poison, which transferred eventually to protecting one from undue acceptance misinformation or untrue, misleading, or exaggerated statements. In English, this expression appears in print as early as the 1600’s.
The other theory, is that the original intention was not to figuratively invoke protection, but is a reference to seasoning. That is, a grain of salt is all it takes to improve the flavour of food and make it more palatable. So, the idiom may have originally been to making untruthful statements “easier to swallow.” The latter theory is considered the most likely candidate, aligning with the view of salt as a protective, owing to its preservative qualities.
Origin of Expression: Stealing Someone's Thunder. The English language is endlessly fascinating. Or endlessly baffling, depending on how you want to look at it. There are so many expressions that, taken literally, make no sense. We all know that the expression 'to steal someone's thunder' means taking credit for something they have done or diverting attention from their achievements. But what are its origins?
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