Attic salt
Pointed and delicate wit.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“She uses attic salt to make her jokes sharp and clever.”
“During the dinner party, he impressed everyone with his attic salt and quick, witty remarks.”
“The author was famous for her attic salt, which allowed her to critique social customs with a delicate but biting sense of humor.”
Attic + salt; a calque of Latin sāl Atticus or sāl Atticum. In classical times “salt” was a frequent metaphor for “wit”.
- 01
covenant of salt
A long-lasting agreement.
- 02
not worth salt
Worthless.
- 03
old salt
A seasoned sailor, especially one who is hardy and forthright in manner.
- 04
rub salt in someone's wounds
To make a painful situation even worse (even with the best of intentions).
- 05
rub salt in the wound
To aggravate or exacerbate a physical or emotional injury.
- 06
salt away
To save or preserve (especially money) for future use.
- 07
salt in the wound
Something that increases someone's pain.
- 08
salt of the earth
A person or group of people considered to represent the most decent and admirable parts of humanity.
Last updated August 10, 2026