“I take his wild stories with a grain of salt. Usually, this idiom is not used to say something is an outright lie but that it is exaggerated or only partly correct. To take something with a grain of salt means to be skeptical about it to not consider something to be completely true or correct to have reservations about something. Most English speakers today don't hear any reference to poisons when they hear the idiom, but the grain of salt vaguely suggests protection from something mildly dangerous in the thing that you are taking it with.Want to see more videos from Idioms.Online? Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Historically, the expression with a grain of salt comes from reports by the ancient Romans, such as Pliny the Elder in the Naturalis Historia, that adding a grain of salt to a certain recipe or to poisons could make you immune to poisons see here for a little more information. It suggests that the advice is almost certainly wrong, maybe even deliberately wrong. The image of a mountain of salt is humor, exaggerating the usual "grain". It can also mean that while the statement is true, it might include some error or it might not be true when applied in every circumstance you will need to take care and use common sense when applying it. ![]() The phrase take it with a grain of salt is an English idiom meaning, "Be skeptical about it." The "it" is usually a statement heard from someone else, like a factual claim or advice.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |