salt shaker
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of salt shaker
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Woe betide the philistine who requests a salt shaker or asks that a meticulously prepared dish be spice-bombed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
I grabbed a salt shaker from a nearby table, had my mom try the guacamole as-is, then salted it, stirred it with a tortilla chip, and asked her to try again.
From Salon ● Feb. 21, 2024
About 70 percent of the sodium people eat comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods, according to the FDA; not from the salt shaker on the kitchen counter.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 13, 2021
For instance, the salt shaker can be used for cooking, but also in terms of someone being "salty" — video game slang for being upset or bitter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2018
Jude jostles my leg under the table with her foot to get my attention back from the salt shaker I realize I’ve been staring down.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
