# salt the earth

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/salt-the-earth
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

After destroying or devastating something, to do something additional to make sure it is permanently destroyed, as a precaution or out of spite.

## Examples

- The angry manager wanted to salt the earth after the project failed.
- The company decided to salt the earth by deleting all the old files so the new team could not use them.
- In a final act of spite, the departing executive salted the earth, ensuring that no successor could salvage the remnants of the once-prosperous department.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.