# the salt of the earth

idiom · CEFR B2

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/the-salt-of-the-earth
Updated: 2026-07-29

## Meaning

Good, honest, dependable people who lack pretension.

## Examples

- Her neighbours are the salt of the earth.
- The volunteers who ran the shelter were the salt of the earth, asking for nothing in return.
- He came from a mining town full of salt-of-the-earth people who worked hard, said little, and would give a stranger their last few pounds without a second thought.

## Origin

The phrase comes from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus tells his followers, "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13). In a world before refrigeration, salt was precious — it preserved food, brought out flavour, and was valuable enough to be traded almost like money. To call someone the salt of the earth was therefore high praise: they are what keeps the whole from spoiling, quietly essential rather than showy. The verse adds a warning — salt that loses its savour is good for nothing — but the compliment is what English remembered. Today the phrase honours ordinary, decent, reliable people: not the powerful or fashionable, but the steady sort who do the necessary work without fuss. It carries a warmth that few compliments manage.

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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.