with a grain of salt


with a grain of salt

With reservations or the understanding that some rumor or piece of information may not be completely true or accurate. Possibly a reference to an ancient Roman antidote to poison that included or consisted of a grain of salt. I heard that you can get a free movie ticket if you wear red, but Kevin told me that, so I'm going to take it with a grain of salt. Read whatever that paper publishes with a grain of salt—it's really just a trashy tabloid.See also: grain, of, salt

with a grain of salt

Also, with a pinch of salt. Skeptically, with reservations. For example, I always take Sandy's stories about illnesses with a grain of salt-she tends to exaggerate. This expression is a translation of the Latin cum grano salis, which Pliny used in describing Pompey's discovery of an antidote for poison (to be taken with a grain of salt). It was soon adopted by English writers. See also: grain, of, salt

with a grain of salt

With reservations; skeptically: Take that advice with a grain of salt.See also: grain, of, salt