to salt
- verb
- /sɔlt/
- The director added some humor to the film by salting it with clever one-liners and unexpected twists.
Examples
-
In conversation, she salted her speech with allusions to movies and actors no one had ever heard of before.
Fiction book (1999) -
- Even I could salt fries.
-
Just salted it up, and it was good.
-
As the government rolls out increasingly shocking deficits, we react by salting away more money against the possibility of dark days.
Blog text (9) -
I stuffed into her purse the passbook to my bank account, in which I had salted away a fair sum of money since I earned well and spent little.
Fiction book (2001) -
To make the presentation more engaging, he decided to salt it with interesting anecdotes and visuals.
-
She spent hours salting the story with vivid descriptions to capture the reader's attention.
Synonyms
To make something more interesting and lively
To add small magical details that make something feel special
Idioms
- Informal
A kind, honest, reliable person who helps others in their community
- Informal
To make someone's bad feelings worse by reminding them of a disappointment
- Archaic
To be in a lower social or work position and have other people treat you as less important
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
The capital of Utah near the Great Salt Lake and home to the main offices of the Mormon Church
A white salt you put in warm water to soothe sore muscles, relieve constipation, or feed plants
- Specialized
A substance in bile that helps break down fats so the body can digest them
- Literature
A serious promise that is meant to last forever, often used in old religious books
- Specialized
A salt made by replacing two hydrogen atoms in an acid with metal atoms
- Specialized
A solid made when two different salts form crystals together and shows some properties of each
- Specialized
A salt that forms when ammonia reacts with an acid and has an NH4+ part
- Specialized
A plant that grows in salt marshes and has small pale purple or white flowers
- Specialized
A white chemical in crystal form that people use as a laxative and in industry
A large flat area of salt and dry land in north central Iran, also called Dasht-e Kavir
- Archaic
A salt from Bad Ems mineral waters that treats throat and nose infections
- Specialized
A white crystal used as a mild laxative and in early electrical devices
- Specialized
A plant with daisy-like flowers that lives in salt marshes and comes back each year
A white wheat bread made with bacteria that can grow in salty dough and a cornmeal starter
How Interesting
Surface Forms
Etymology
To salt in the sense of adding interest comes from the cooking idea of sprinkling salt to improve flavor; a few small pieces can make a dish or story much better. So to salt your speech or writing is to add tiny, tasty details that make it more lively.