what does take it with a grain of salt mean

Quite what Trapp meant by that citation isn't entirely clear but it is possible that he wasn't intending to convey the figurative meaning we now understand by 'taken with a grain of salt'. 'This is to be taken with a grain of salt.'

The phrase has been in use in English since the 17th century for example, in the English religious commentator John Trapp's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, 1647: The figurative meaning, that is, that truth may require moderation by the notional application of 'a grain of salt', didn't enter the language until much later, no doubt influenced by classical scholars' study of Ancient Greek texts like the works of Pliny. The suggestion is that injurious effects can be moderated by the taking of a grain of salt. translates into modern English thus:Īfter the defeat of that mighty monarch, Mithridates, Gnaeus Pompeius found in his private cabinet a recipe for an antidote in his own handwriting it was to the following effect: Take two dried walnuts, two figs, and twenty leaves of rue pound them all together, with the addition of a grain of salt if a person takes this mixture fasting, he will be proof against all poisons for that day. Pliny the Elder translated an ancient text, which some have suggested was an antidote to poison, with the words 'be taken fasting, plus a grain of salt'. The idea comes from the fact that food is more easily swallowed if taken with a small amount of salt. What's the origin of the phrase 'Take with a grain of salt'? To take a statement with 'a grain of salt' (or 'a pinch of salt') means to accept it while maintaining a degree of scepticism about its truth.

Food and drink What's the meaning of the phrase 'Take with a grain of salt'?.

What does take it with a grain of salt mean