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1849 N. P. Willis Rural Lett. viii. 355 ‘Calm as the shadow of a rock across the foam of a cataract’, would be a neat thing to ‘salt down’ for Calhoun or Van Buren.

1873 C. G. Leland Egyptian Sketch-bk. 57 Give an Egyptian the same [sc. a sixpence], and instead of thanking or drinking, he will salt it down, and promptly beg for more.

1885 Daily News 3 Nov. 5/2 He was ‘salting down’ money for the joint benefit of Ward and himself.

1897 A. Barrère & C. G. Leland Dict. Slang (at cited word) To salt down stock, to buy stock and keep it for a considerable period.

1902 R. W. Chambers Maids of Paradise vii. 126 No one to hinder you from salting away as many millions as you can carry off!

1931 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 19 Sept. 12/5 It is a well known fact that all gamblers salt away their ill-gotten gains and die inordinately rich.

1952 New Statesman 17 May 578/2 Many palms itched for the millions that the Nationalists had salted away.

1959 Times 22 Apr. 8/4 Undisclosed profits were ‘salted away’ in banks in Eire and Rhodesia.

1966 Economist 9 Apr. 172/3 Members of previous governments, some of them now restricted to their homes, have salted away enormous sums of hard currency in foreign banks during their period of office.

1974 Socialist Worker 26 Oct. 3/1 The press, the experts and the pontificators see nothing wrong or hypocritical in the fact that the Banks can salt away these millions and make still more in this time of crisis.