salt of the earth
idiom

- very good, honest, and reasonable, and not thinking you are special in any way

- a very good and honest person or group of people

- a person or people whom you admire for their honesty and reliability

Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Collins Dictionary

—
PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase "salt of the earth" has its origins in the Bible, specifically from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Matthew (5:13). In this context, Jesus refers to his followers as "the salt of the earth”, highlighting their value and integrity, much like salt was valued for its preservative qualities in ancient times.

The phrase has since evolved to describe individuals who are considered genuine, trustworthy, and of great worth or reliability. It is often used to praise someone for being humble and unpretentious, and for representing the best or noblest elements of society.

—
THE SAGA OF SALT

This humble mineral, essential for life, has long been a source of wealth and power. In ancient times, salt was so valuable that it was used as currency, giving rise to the word "salary”, derived from the Latin salarium, which refers to payments made to Roman soldiers.

The word "salad" comes from the Latin sal for salt, reflecting the Roman tradition of seasoning greens with brine or salty dressings, a practice that gave rise to the concept of salad as we know it today. This tradition persisted through the ages, with "salad" making its way into the English language in the 14th century as "salad" or "sallet”.

One fascinating salt anecdote involves Mahatma Gandhi's famous Salt March in 1930. In protest against the British salt monopoly in India, Gandhi walked 240 miles to the Arabian Sea to make salt from seawater. This act of civil disobedience became a pivotal moment in India's independence movement.

In essence, salt is more than just a seasoning; it has a long historical tradition. So, next time you reach for the salt shaker, remember: you're not just seasoning your food, you're sprinkling a bit of history onto your plate.

Paul Smith

—
SYNONYMS

a diamond in the rough, a man of his word, a pillar of society, a rare gem, a rock, a stand-up guy, backbone of society, beacon of integrity, bedrock citizen (of the community), best of the bunch, civic cornerstone, cornerstone of society (the community), cream of the crop, creditable, dependable, dependable (as the sunrise, soul), down-to-earth person, exemplar of integrity, good egg, heart of gold, honest Abe, honest as the day is long, incorruptible, mainstay of society, man of integrity, model citizen, moral compass, of good repute, paragon of virtue, pillar of society (the community), praiseworthy, pure as the driven snow, reliable as a Swiss watch, reputable, right-minded, rock of gibraltar, rock-solid, salt of society, SALT OF THE EARTH, solid as oak, solid citizen, soul of integrity, straight arrow, true-blue, trustworthy, trusty steed, truthful, unsung hero, upright and square, what you see is what you get, worth their salt (their weight in gold), worthy, worthy soul

—
SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Our local shopkeeper is the SALT OF THE EARTH, treating every customer like family.”

—
Why Support OWAD?

On evenings and weekends, I research and write your daily OWAD newsletter together with Helga (my lovely wife and business partner) and our eagle-eyed daughter Jennifer. It remains FREE, AD-FREE, and ALIVE thanks to voluntary donations from appreciative readers.

If you aren’t already, please consider supporting us — even a small donation, equivalent to just 1-cup-of-coffee a month, would help us in covering expenses for mailing, site-hosting, maintenance, and service.

Just head over to DonorBox:
Please help keep OWAD alive

or

Bank transfer:
Paul Smith
IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40

Important: please state as ’Verwendungszweck’: “OWAD donation” and the email address used to subscribe to OWAD.

Thanks so much,

Paul & Helga Smith