with a grain of salt
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Calque of Latin cum grānō salis, literally with a grain of salt, figuratively with a bit of common sense.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Adverb[edit]
with a grain of salt (not comparable)
- (idiomatic) With a little common sense and skepticism.
- I take anything I read on the Internet with a grain of salt.
- 2008, John Douglas, Johnny Dodd, Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer, John Wiley & Sons (→ISBN):
- In it, police laid out list of biographical factoids about BTK and urged residents to read it with a grain of salt. Releasing a list of his “claims,” they reasoned, might allow someone, somewhere to make a connection that police couldn't hope to.
Usage notes[edit]
Usually appears modifying the verb "take".
Coordinate terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
with common sense and skepticism
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