Take something with a pinch of salt

How it is used

Informal, especially British English. American English often uses a grain of salt; these are variants of one expression.

Example sentences

1. It is reasonable to take something with a pinch of salt when the source cannot explain where its figures came from.

   The lack of traceable evidence motivates caution about the claim.

2. You may take something with a pinch of salt without dismissing it completely; ask the supplier for supporting data.

   Caution leaves room for verification rather than automatic rejection.

Common collocations

• be inclined to take something with a pinch of salt
• learn to take something with a pinch of salt

Related terms

• forecastA statement of what is expected to happen in the future, especially to sales, costs or demand, based on current data and trends.
• figuresNumbers that show amounts, results or statistics, especially official numbers about sales, costs or performance.

More terms: Office Idioms and Phrases

• touch base
• heads-up
• on the same page
• keep me posted
• ballpark figure
• bandwidth
• circle back
• low-hanging fruit
• get the ball rolling
• back to the drawing board
• drop the ball
• on my radar