back to the salt mines
idiomatic expression; informal, humorous or ironic

- Resuming work, usually with some reluctance.

- Returning to hard work and discomfort after a period of ease.

- Returning to a workplace figuratively presented as a place of confinement and drudgery.

The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms, Dictionary of American Slang, Collins English Dictionary

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The expression draws on the grim image of prisoners sentenced to labour in salt mines, particularly those associated with Siberia. It developed in English; it isn't presented in the dictionaries as a translation of a Russian saying.

Its precise starting date is uncertain. Etymologist Barry Popik documents a 1926 newspaper cartoon containing the longer form “back to the salt mines of Siberia”. By 1938, his newspaper examples clearly use the shorter expression for returning from a holiday or resuming ordinary work. Siberia disappeared; the theatrical groan survived.

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WHERE FILMS GO UNDERGROUND

Imagine sending a precious film collection down a mine rather than up to the cloud.

In Hutchinson, Kansas, UV&S has operated underground storage since 1959. Some 200 metres below ground, its salt-mine facility houses microfilm and other media.

The attraction is stability: a natural temperature of about 21°C and average relative humidity of 45 per cent. Specially controlled vaults accommodate materials needing particular conditions.

There’s a pleasing reversal here. Mining creates empty space by removing something valuable. Archiving makes that space valuable by putting things back.

A “cloud” sounds weightless; a mine sounds solid and enclosed. For irreplaceable contents, enclosure has its appeal.

An archive needs little excitement. Sometimes the best address is one where almost nothing changes.

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

back to the daily grind, back to the grindstone, BACK TO THE SALT MINES, back to work

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today. Say something like:

“That was a lovely lunch—now it's BACK TO THE SALT MINES before those emails start breeding.”

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