Idiom
rub salt in the wound
Meaning
To aggravate or exacerbate a physical or emotional injury.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Don't rub salt in the wound by talking about his mistake.”
“She lost the race, and his constant comments about her slow time only rubbed salt in the wound.”
“After the company fired him, they sent a letter criticizing his performance, which served only to rub salt in the wound.”
Examples
simple
“Don't rub salt in the wound by talking about his mistake.”
contextual
“She lost the race, and his constant comments about her slow time only rubbed salt in the wound.”
complex
“After the company fired him, they sent a letter criticizing his performance, which served only to rub salt in the wound.”
Origin
Derived from the stinging sensation of salt being applied to an open, bleeding wound. The practice was a deliberate act, intended to increase the physical discomfort of the injury.
Key words
Related idioms
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