take with a grain of salt see under salt¹

salt¹ /sölt or solt/

noun

1. Chloride of sodium, occurring naturally as a mineral (rock salt) and in solution in seawater, saltwater springs, etc, used as a condiment and preservative
2. A saltcellar
3. A compound in which metal atoms or electropositive radicals replace one or more of the replaceable hydrogen atoms of an acid (chem)
4. Piquancy, liveliness
5. Dry or pungent wit
6. A salt marsh or salting
7. An influx of salt water
8. A sailor, esp an experienced sailor
9. (in pl) smelling salts
10. (in pl) Epsom salts or other salt or mixture of salts used medicinally, esp as a purgative
11. Money collected at montem (qv)

adjective

1. Containing salt
2. Tasting of salt
3. Seasoned or cured with salt
4. Covered over with, or immersed in, salt water
5. Growing in salt soil
6. Inhabiting salt water
7. Pungent
8. Expensive, dear (archaic sl)

transitive verb

1. To sprinkle, season, preserve or impregnate with salt
2. To season, or add piquancy to
3. To acclimatize
4. To assign an excessive value to or in (slang)
5. To add gold, ore, etc to (a mine, etc) in order to give a false appearance of riches (mining sl)
6. To immunize (an animal) by inoculation, etc (old)

saltˈed adjective

saltˈer noun

1. A person who makes or deals in salt or salted foods
2. A dealer in gums, dyes, etc, a drysalter

saltˈily adverb

saltine /söl-tēnˈ/ noun (N American)

A crisp salted biscuit

saltˈiness noun

saltˈing noun

1. The act of preserving, seasoning, etc with salt
2. A meadow flooded by the tides (cf ing)
3. The montem (qv) ceremony

saltˈish adjective

saltˈishly adverb

saltˈishness noun

saltˈless adjective

saltˈly adverb

saltˈness noun

saltˈy adjective

1. Tasting of, containing, etc salt
2. Piquant, racy, witty

salt bath noun (metallurgy)

A bath of molten salts in which steel is heated, hardened or tempered

saltˈbox noun

1. A box for holding salt, esp an old-fashioned one with a sloping clapper lid, once used as a percussion instrument in burlesque music
2. A house with one fewer storey at the back than at the front and a gable roof that slopes steeply at the rear (US)

saltˈbush noun

Any shrubby plant (genus Atriplex) of the goosefoot family, of arid regions

saltˈ-butter adjective (Shakespeare)

Fed on nothing better than salt butter, gross

salt cake noun

Impure sodium sulphate

saltˈcat noun

A salt mixture given as a digestive to pigeons

saltˈcellar noun

1. (OFr saliere, from L salārium, from sāl salt) a container for holding salt when used as a condiment
2. A depression behind the collarbone

saltˈchuck noun (Can)

A body of salt water

saltˈ-cote noun (obsolete)

A building where salt is prepared for use as a condiment

salt dome or plug noun (geology)

A diapir formed by a column of rock salt forced up by pressure through upper rock stata

salt eel see under eel

saltˈ-fat or (non-standard) saltˈ-foot noun

1. Formerly, a large saltcellar marking the class boundary at table
2. A pickling-tub

saltˈfish noun (W Indies)

Salted cod

salt flat noun

A stretch of flat, salt-covered land left by the evaporation of an area of salt water

salt glaze noun

1. A glaze produced on pottery by volatilization of common salt in the kiln
2. Pottery produced with this glaze

saltˈ-glazed adjective

salt glazing noun

salt horse (also (nautical) saltˈ-junk) noun (slang)

Salt beef

salt lake noun

An inland lake of saline water

salt lick noun

1. A place to which animals go to obtain salt
2. A block of salt, often also containing other essential minerals, given to domestic animals as a dietary supplement

salt marsh noun

Land liable to be flooded with salt water

saltˈ-mine noun

A mine of rock salt

saltˈ-money noun

1. An allowance for salt
2. Money collected at montem (qv)

salt of sorrel noun

Acid potassium oxalate, formerly used for removing ink-stains

salt of tartar noun

A commercial name for purified potassium carbonate

salt of vitriol noun

Sulphate of zinc

salt of wisdom noun

Sal alembroth

salt of wormwood noun

Potassium carbonate

salt pan noun

1. A large basin for obtaining salt by evaporation
2. A natural depression in which salt accumulates or has accumulated by evaporation

salt pit noun

A pit for obtaining salt by evaporation

salt plug see salt dome above.

salt rheum noun

1. A discharge of mucus from the nose (Shakespeare)
2. Eczema or other skin eruption (N American; old)

salt spoon noun

salt spring noun

A brine spring

saltˈwater adjective

Of, containing or inhabiting salt water

saltˈworks noun

A place where salt is refined

saltˈwort noun

1. A fleshy, prickly plant of the genus Salsola, of the goosefoot family, eg S. kali found on sandy seashores
2. Sometimes applied to the glasswort (genus Salicornia)

above (or below) the salt

Among those of high (or low) social class, the saltcellar formerly marking the boundary at table when all dined together

lay, put or cast salt on someone's tail

To find or catch someone, from the jocularly recommended method of catching a bird

like a dose of salts (informal)

Very quickly

rub salt in a wound

To aggravate someone's sorrow, shame, regret, etc

salt away

1. To store away
2. To hoard, esp in a miserly way

salt down

1. To preserve with salt
2. To lay by, store up

salt of the earth

The choice few of the highest excellence (from Bible, Matthew 5.13)

salt out

To obtain as a precipitate by adding a salt

take with a pinch (or grain) of salt

To believe (something or someone) only with great reservations

worth one's salt

Valuable, useful, orig worth the value of the salt one consumes