salt in the wound

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Noun

salt in the wound (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Something that increases someone's pain.

Usage notes

• The can be replaced by a or a possessive.
• Wound can appear as a plural.
• In can be replaced by prepositions such as into, on, to, and from, the latter changing the sense, but staying within the metaphor.

Related terms

• rub salt in the wounds